Adlair calls foul on GN
Airline says medevac contract was unfairly awarded in 2011
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Monday, December 7, 2015
NUNAVUT
Two affidavits recently filed in Iqaluit's court allege Adlair Aviation was unfairly treated by the Government of Nunavut when it awarded its medevac contract for the Kitikmeot in 2011.
Bruce Jonasson, the former manager of business development at Adlair Aviation. The Yellowknife entrepreneur's comments are included in one of two affidavits recently filed in the ongoing lawsuit between Adlair and the Government of Nunavut regarding the $31.5 million medevac contract the company lost in 2011. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo
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That year, Adlair Aviation lost the $31.5 million contract to Aqsaqniq Airways, a partner of Yellowknife-based airliner Air Tindi. As a result, Adlair is currently suing the territorial government, the commissioner and the territory's senior manager of procurement and logistics, Mark McCulloch.
Adlair's lawyer, former Northern resident Ed Brogden, said the two affidavits were filed in response to the territorial government bringing forth a motion for a summary judgement, which would effectively throw out the lawsuit before it ever goes to trial.
"We responded with very detailed affidavits," he said.
"They don't like the affidavits. So now they want to strike large parts of them before the judge hears the summary judgement hearing."
One of the affidavits was written by Adlair's former manager of business development, Bruce Jonasson, who is now the general manager of Buffalo Airways.
Brogden called the current situation "incredibly complicated."
"We have 10 to 12,000 pages of disclosure documents to go through," he said.
In essence, this latest development in the multi-year lawsuit between the Northern airline company and the territorial government is Adlair claiming the appearance of bias and breach of contract of trust with the request-for-proposals for the medevac contract. Brogden said the concern is the choice for the service provider was predetermined, that Adlair didn't get a fair shot at all.
The company was to have a hearing scheduled for around this time.
"But the government lawyers want this matter disposed," Brogden said.
According to Brogden, the family behind the company, the Laseriches, want the case to go to a public hearing and a trial, despite the high legals costs of continuing to fight the territorial government.
"People still want to fly with them," he said.
