Air Creebec a part of the community

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For over 20 years, Air Creebec has been flying high in the northern communities of Ontario and Quebec, and giving back to the communities that have contributed to its success.

The air carrier offers regular flights, serving the communities Attawapiskat, Chiboutamau, Chisasibi, Eastmain, Fort Albany, Kashewchewan, La Grande, Moosonnee, Nemaska, Peawanuck, Roberval, Waskaganish, Wemindji, Timmins, Val d'Or and Montreal. It also offers cargo services, and charter services.

Many of the communities served by Air Creebec are remote and isolated, making getting in and out of them without the air carrier's services a challenge at the best of times. So you can imagine how invaluable those services become at the worst of times.

When emergencies such as fires or floods threaten the communities, it is Air Creebec that the Ministry of Natural Resources calls to help move residents to safety.

"We get involved with the MNR, and they charter us to evacuate persons during fire and flood emergencies," explained Anne-Marie Farrington, Air Creebec's marketing manager.

"We are a provider of service to the James Bay coastal communities. So we are ideally located for evacuation," Farrington explained, adding that evacuees from the area are usually relocated to Timmins or Moosonnee, communities the air carrier also serves.

"There was a large forest fire around Nemaska in northern Quebec last year, and we evacuated persons from Nemaska as well. So we're involved in both Ontario and Quebec, with evacuations. And then we also fly further afield and assist out in northwestern Ontario as well, when required."

While helping to ensure the safety of the residents is one way Air Creebec gives back to the communities it serves, it is far from the only way.

"We do a lot to try to give back to the community," Farrington said. "For example, particularly around the Christmas season, we've been asked by generous donors in southern regions to send up, and we do that non-revenue, which means at no charge, donations of clothing and toys, sports equipment, for the people in the coastal communities. There's all sorts of different groups that are involved. For example, I just took 600 pounds today of bales of clothing from the Mennonite Society. And often there are groups in Timmins, the Anglican diocese, they always send up clothing. So we have different groups that regularly send things up."

"We try to pay back to the community through support for sports and educational programs," said Air Creebec president Albert Diamond. "We sponsor youth activities and speakers for graduation ceremonies."

"And we're also very involved in sponsoring various events in the communities by donating prizes for raffles," added Farrington.