Fort Simpson (Nov 12/04) - Five Deh Cho organizations have joined forces to form a regional partnership with Great Slave Helicopters.

The result is Dehcho Regional Helicopters, a 100 per cent aboriginally-owned company.

Representatives from Nahanni Butte, Jean Marie River, the Fort Simpson Metis, Trout Lake and Fort Liard took part in Dehcho Helicopters' first annual general meeting on Nov. 2. Previously, Great Slave Helicopters had individual partnerships with each of the communities.

Colin Munro, Fort Simpson base manager for Great Slave Helicopters, said Great Slave is willing to help Dehcho Helicopters finance ownership of a helicopter(s). Great Slave would then lease the aircraft for a guaranteed number of hours per year. A similar deal already exists with Denendeh Helicopters in Hay River.

Shareholders in Dehcho Helicopters will receive an equal percentage of the revenues from every hour that their helicopters fly, Munro explained. Great Slave will benefit by inheriting more work locally because it will be the partners' "operator of choice."

The joint venture will operate solely within the Deh Cho region with full access to the resources of Great Slave Helicopters, which has a fleet of 59 light and medium choppers.

The new pact will also be much less complicated than the former individual arrangements for paperwork and billing purposes, he added.

Fred Norwegian, chief of the Jean Marie River First Nation, said oil and gas activity in the Deh Cho region is sure to increase in the future and helicopters will be in demand.

"We're always short of funding for things we want to do, and this is an opportunity to generate a little bit of revenue for the community," Norwegian said.

'More power to us'

Marie Lafferty, president of the Fort Simpson Metis Nation, concurred.

"I guess the more power to us," Lafferty said. "It will be better business-wise. There will be more money coming in. We thought it was a good idea."

Great Slave Helicopters also has a joint venture with the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, but the Wrigley band has no stake in this partnership.

The Liidlii Kue First Nation in Fort Simpson, the largest band in the region, has its own joint-venture partnership with Canadian Helicopters.