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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

MKO, aviator deepen ties

Partnering in helicopter firm

By: Martin Cash

Posted: 03/17/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Actor Adam Beach is flanked by chiefs David Harper and Ron Evans at press conference. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

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Beach and chiefs David Harper and Ron Evans emerge from a Custom Helicopter for a partnership announcement Friday. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

MANITOBA'S northern First Nations have deepened their relationship with the province's largest aviation company by forming a partnership with its new helicopter division.

The partnership -- 51 per cent owned by MKO (Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak) and 49 per cent by Custom Helicopters Inc. -- called Piminawin, will bid on various jobs on behalf of Custom Helicopters in the North.

The idea is MKO -- the northern chiefs' association -- and Custom Helicopters will jointly benefit from new work in the region.

Manitoba-born Hollywood actor Adam Beach was on hand for the announcement.

Beach stars in the CBC television series Arctic Air, about a northern airline.

"This is where life imitates art," Beach said. "The tag line for the show is 'Arctic Air -- lifeline to community.' This is what this partnership represents, another lifeline to the community."

MKO Grand Chief David Harper -- a former pilot with Perimeter Aviation -- said a partnership such as this is a way for First Nations people to become more connected to the economic development activity in the region.

"There is a paradigm shift underway," Harper said. "There are all sorts of things coming up -- Conawapa, Bipole III, lots of mining and mineral exploration. This partnership is a chance (for northern First Nations) to come to the table and share in the revenue from that activity."

Custom Helicopter was acquired by Exchange Income Corp. (EIC) earlier this year. EIC also owns Perimeter and Calm Air and a couple of other regional airlines.

Perimeter has established community partnership agreements with many First Nations it services in northern Manitoba. Perimeter makes contributions to each community relative to the volume of business it does from that community.

Mike Pyle, chief executive officer of EIC, said this new partnership is similar in spirit to those community relationships.

"Custom Helicopters has been working in the north since the 1970s," he said. "This provides us with an interface that we didn't have before."

Integral to the deal is a commitment from EIC to develop training opportunities for local First Nations residents to become eligible for employment with Custom Helicopters. Already, about 50 per cent of Perimeter's employees are aboriginal.

The details on the training opportunities have yet to be worked out, but Harper said over the next five years he hopes to see northern First Nations residents being trained to become helicopter pilots, engineers and other support staff.

Pyle said Harper and MKO should be commended for taking the initiative in this partnership.

"They have taken steps to leverage their market position into a relationship with a dominant player in the business," he said.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 17, 2012 B4

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