Wasaya announcement halted by weather, rescheduled to January

Wasaya Group Inc. is joining the charter helicopter business, but after a last-minute change of heart the company said it isn’t prepared to name any of its partners in the multi-million dollar venture.

On Friday the First Nation-owned corporation scheduled a news conference to announce a partnership with V. Kelner Aviation, but by the time reporters arrived at 10 a.m. at Wasaya’s Anemki Drive headquarters officials said they were delaying the announcement until late January.

Company president and CEO Tom Kamenawatamin, who huddled with other Wasaya executives for 45 minutes while reporters waited, eventually said they couldn’t make an official statement because one of the partners involved in the deal was not available to be in attendance.

He added they were stranded in a fly-in community because of winter weather, but wouldn’t confirm who it was, however.

"Right now I’m not at liberty to say that," Kamenawatamin said. "We do have an agreement in place, but the terms of the agreement will not be released until the end of January."

Wasaya spokesperson Joe Moses said the partnership is going through, but the details of who the partners will be had to remain a company secret for now.

"There are multiple partners involved and we want to know the details of who that partner will be," Moses said.

"It might not be Kelner," he added minutes later.

Kamenawatamin added he’s hoping for a February launch for the service.

According to a release issued to media on Friday, V. Kelner Aviation has been serving Northern communities for the past two decades.

The release said the two sides planned the joint venture to "capitalize on the growing aviation market within the region," and give Wasaya a 51 per cent share in the company, founded by Frank Kelner. The release said other First Nations were in discussions with Wasaya Group Inc., and were expected to join the partnership in coming weeks.

With growing mining, construction and environmental work being done in the North, Kamenawatamin said there is plenty of opportunity for an enhanced helicopter service in the region, which is why they will continue to seek out partners.

"The priority would be resource development with the Ring of Fire and the surveying companies that are in the area," Kamenawatamin said. "There is also a potential hydro transmission line through our communities, through our region, and that’s the other opportunity that we have."

Earlier this year the company added a Dash 8 aircraft to its fleet to increase its passenger and cargo capacity to Northern communities.

Wasaya operates seven subsidiaries, including Wasaya Airways.