Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 30/99) - Pilot's Monument is getting a new plaque.

This new plaque was fitted for the Old Town landmark June 23, to replace the aging original one in the hopes of keeping up with current views of the bush pilots' role in the North and to coincide with the weekend Float Plane Fly-In.

"One of the areas of concern was to Aboriginal issues," Mike Keizer, client and heritage services manager for Wood Buffalo National Park said.

"That they were here long before the bush pilots came and the new wording is more sensitive to that.

"The new plaque recognizes that the bush pilots played a key role, and that's not to be diminished by any means, but it acknowledges that there were other people here as well."

The old plaque relates the bush pilot's push into "unchartered territory" but does not mention the Aboriginal people that were already inhabiting the North.

"When we ran it through (the plaque text) we went through a number of consultations with people like Max Ward, the aviation museum, and people at the historical society in Yellowknife were sent the wording," said Keizer.

"The goal was to make it a little more palatable, acceptable, accurate and not diminishing anybody else's role."

The old plaque, first installed in 1967, was also becoming worn and illegible after years of facing the elements and the public.

"It was due to be replaced," Keizer said.

The new plaque was due to be installed June 23 to coincide with the Float Plane Fly-In weekend, but a few minor problems arose which caused momentary concern that it might not be in place for the weekend fly-in.

"The plaque is a little big," Terry Foster, NWT representative for the Canadian Historic Sites and Monuments Board admitted at the site.

"The plaques that are made now are larger than the ones made in the '60s.

"The obelisk that the current plaque is fixed on, I've never seen anything like it before. My sense is that it was built to put the plaque on."

Parks Canada follows a standard measurement for plaques across the country.

The smallest measurement, 26 3/4 x 30 5/8 inches exceeds the space already occupied by the current plaque.

Despite size problems, however, Parks Canada managed to resolve the problem and by the end of the afternoon the plaque had been successfully installed.

"It's up," Parks Canada employee, Judy Cozzetto said, shortly after viewing it.