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Airlines may be grounded

Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (May 28/04) - Two private charter airline companies will be among the first casualties if big game outfitters leave the Deh Cho region.

Chris Yarrow, owner of Wolverine Air, flies international hunters from Fort Simpson into and out of the outfitting camps.

"It's a substantial amount of money to us," Yarrow said. He also cited the consequent loss of hunters and outfitters purchasing groceries, supplies, motel rooms and other local goods and services.

"It would be a huge downfall for Fort Simpson ... it's a snowball effect," he said.

Jacques Harvey, owner of South Nahanni Airways, said without the outfitters, he would lose at least half a dozen trips with his Twin Otter.

"It adds up," Harvey said. He actually took a three-month contract in Haiti earlier this year because there wasn't much work available locally as it was.

Herb Norwegian, Grand Chief of the DCFN, expressed no sympathy for the threatened Fort Simpson business community. Although merchants have made lots of money from First Nations people, local companies haven't supported the Deh Cho First Nations in its battle to secure maximum benefits from industry, according to Norwegian.

"They should be coming behind us, waving our banner and say, 'Right on guys, kick their ass!'" Norwegian said. "But we don't hear that."

He said businesspeople should take a stand and stop "lurking in the coffee shops and talking about (their) withering little bank accounts."