Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Mar 20/02) - They are the Land Before Time and Never Never Land.

That's what residents of Coral Harbour and Repulse Bay call their hamlets since losing Calm Air's passenger service this past year.

Joachim Ayaruak sits alone in the Rankin Inlet airport reading his copy of the Kivalliq News while waiting for the next available flight. Scenes like this one are becoming all too common across the North as people in Repulse Bay and Coral Harbour continue to get bumped from their flights. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

Kivalliq Air is the only airline with regularly scheduled passenger flights to the two hamlets, using a nine-seat aircraft.

An open letter with more than 800 names is on its way to a number of different airlines and the Nunavut government.

The letter is also going to Transport Canada's complaints commissioner.

Coral resident Jim Ningeocheak says the letter was signed by residents of Repulse and Coral who are fed up with the state of passenger service in their communities.

"People in our two communities have written to our MLAs, our minister of transportation and our minister of health and they didn't even do us the courtesy of answering us back," says Ningeocheak.

"What are we to think from that? That we don't matter to our own leaders?"

Ningeocheak says morale in his community is at a worrisome level.

He says the letter invites any airline company to start up the Coral-Repulse run with larger aircraft.

"The feeling in our community is that we've just gone back to the ice age with the situation the way it is now.

"It's impossible. Larger families trying to get out of town have to leave all their stuff behind and we're having people stranded all over the North after they're bumped from their flights.

"We're suffering big time."

Ningeocheak says the situation is uncomfortable for medical patients who travel on regular flights.

Elders also find travel difficult, with no washroom facilities on the planes.

"With the monopoly situation we now have, ticket prices have also risen dramatically since Calm Air discontinued its service. We only get a discount of less than 10 per cent off of a full fare when travelling standby."

Levi Katokra says Repulse residents are also fed up with the service.

He says the way everyone seems to be ignoring the plight of the two hamlets is damaging community spirit.

"Having only one carrier with planes that small is not working and it's getting everybody here more angry all the time," says Katokra.

"There's a lot of frustration in Repulse over this."