North Star Air Announces Partnership with Eabametoong First Nation
North Star Air - Special to The Bulletin
Working together to create new business opportunities and employment in First Nations communities has always been North Star Air’s mission. With the success of scheduled passenger air service, the launch of NSA’s Revenue Share Partnership program took flight, and within a few short years, eleven First Nations communities entered into agreements with North Star Air.
“Since our revenue share agreements inception, we’ve given back over $3 million dollars to our partner communities” states Tom Meilleur, Vice President of North Star Air, “We’re all about people, and creating opportunities within remote First Nations communities in the North. We’re always working towards the 12th partnership and so on.”
Enter Eabametoong First Nations, also known as Fort Hope, and the 12th partner to sign with the award-winning airline. The Ojibway First Nations band, located on the shore of Eabamet Lake in the Albany River system, is 300 kms northeast of Thunder Bay. The community is only accessible by air or water, or by winter/ice roads. North Star Air provides daily passenger, charter and cargo air service to the community of approximately 1300.
“While our partnership with Eabametoong was signed weeks ago, we were waiting for the right time to make the announcement by the new Chief,” explains Meilleur, “An important event such as the inauguration of recently elected Chief Harvey Yesno and his new Council, we knew it would bring the entire community to one place.”
To celebrate their most recent partnership North Star Air hosted a community BBQ in Eabametoong and presented a $135,583.96 revenue-to-date cheque to Chief Yesno, Council and community members prior to the inauguration ceremony.
“Revenues generated from North Star Air community partner agreements are designed to distribute funds back into the community for future investments in social, economic and infra-structure projects” explains CEO Frank Kelner.
North Star Air partner communities also benefit from competitive rates for passenger, charter and cargo air services. Eabametoong First Nations is one of 12 First Nations communities that have entered into agreements with North Star Air since the programs’ inception in 2016.
