Category: Interviews

Damien Tremblay’s book entitled Yukon Dreams studies Yukon’s remote areas. In an interview with Gurdeep Pandher, he tells more about his book.

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YT: Thank you so much Damien for coming to this interview!
DT: Thanks to you!

YT: Why did you write this book? I mean what inspired you to write this book?
DT: Well I wanted to write it because, well, I had read many books about the Yukon and the North in general. But I felt that– well, there was– the idea of remoteness was never explicit. It was always implied in those books, and it was more or less, well, omnipresent. But it was not very clear what it was exactly. So I wanted to explain it well – remoteness – what it was, and how it had an influence on people.

YT: There are a lot of books on Yukon – when we go to different bookstores, we find many books. So how different is your approach, how different is your book from other Yukon books?

DT: It’s a very focused book, because I wanted to talk about remoteness, and everything that was around this idea. And for the Yukon, of course, there was a mystique of the place, there is a mystery surrounding the Yukon. Why does it attract so much? And one of the reasons, for sure, is remoteness, and one doesn’t go without the other. You have the mystique of the territory, and you have the remoteness. So, I wanted to explain that idea.

YT: Are you the fi rst writer to touch Yukon’s remoteness, or did any other writer make this kind of attempt, do you know?

DT: No, the fi rst clear and explicit attempt, I think, is with my book. But, of course, everybody
talked about remoteness in his book. Because it was– it’s omnipresent, again, in the Yukon. So, you can pass it. I mean, you have to talk about it. And in my book I quote many other books about the Yukon, or the North, and chapters or things that talk about remoteness. But I wanted my book to be an analysis of remoteness. That’s what it is.

YT: When did you start writing this book?

DT: About two years ago.

YT: How long did you spend in research? How much time did you spend on writing, actual writing?

DT: Well, I did research at the same time as I was doing writing. Because I already had a lot of research done. Because, since my childhood, I read about the Yukon and the North. So I had that knowledge, that base of knowledge. I knew what I wanted to say. So I was able to both research it and write at the same time. But the writing maybe took a year.

YT: One year on research, one year on writing?

DT: About that, yes. And, yes, publishing matters too, you know.

YT: Ok. Yeah, it involves a lot of things. Your book tells about Yukon remoteness. How far did you go to write about this book? I mean where in Yukon, like what places in Yukon did you travel to, for your research?

DT: Well, I will say first: there are different scales of remoteness. The territory, for example, is remote from big urban centers. It’s remote from most big Canadian cities, so it’s a few thousand kilometers away. So that type of remoteness, anybody can feel it. I mean, you feel it, I feel it – anybody can feel it. I mean, we don’t have the same services exactly, however, we have everything we want, I think. But, I mean, we are still far away from many places – from France, from India, from our countries. But, of course, you can go always deeper into the Yukon remoteness. If you go in the wilderness, you are deep, very far – you can be wild very fast! Sorry. So, I mean, my favourite place are the Ogilvie Mountains. So every year I go there at least once, or twice. I go hiking by myself in the Ogilvie Mountains. So it’s– I’m by myself for a few days in the mountains, in very remote and beautiful places.

YT: Can you name places? Like, where did you go for your research?

DT: Well, I’ve been all around the Yukon; in the St. Elias Mountains, Ogilvie, and all of that. So, I’ve done some canoe trips, I’ve done some hiking trips, I’ve been in the wilderness all around, that’s for sure.

YT: You went to different Yukon remote places for your book to do study or research. So which area of the Yukon attracted
your attention mostly?

DT: The Yukon – all the Yukon, really. And I wanted to say: I didn’t fi nd it, really. The answers I give in that book are not really from the outside, what you could see from the outside. They are from within you – remoteness is about introspection. What is inside you, when you’re outside. So there is a paradox, you know – it’s more about you than the mountains. The mountains don’t care if they’re remote or not, we do. So it’s– talking about remoteness is an intellectual thing. It’s not something that you could guess looking at a mountain. You have to look within you, what’s inside you.

YT: In your book you mention the Peel River watershed. So what are your views about that region of the Yukon?

DT: Well, it’s a region that is very much discussed right now, because it’s one of the remotest areas of the Yukon, and they want to mine it and develop it. And, of course, I’m against that, because I think that all the Yukon is built – you know, the mystique, the importance of the Yukon for the world – is built on the quality of its remoteness. So, if you destroy that area, of course you destroy animals, you destroy wildlife and all of that, but you destroy the very idea that made the Yukon, and the reason people are coming for the Yukon. So you destroy something big.

YT: Do you support the “Protect the Peel” campaign?

DT: Completely. Of course.

YT: You have studied Yukon’s remote areas. So what did you learn about Yukon’s gold? Is Yukon still a great source of gold? Did you touch this subject too?

DT: I talked about it, yes. Well, I would say: Yukon is still a good source of intellectual gold. That would be my answer. Which is found, well, in its wilderness, remoteness, and all of that. It’s in a world that is more and more built, you know, where there are more and more cities, where everything is connected. Well, you still have the chance to not be connected to anything here. To be distanced from time, from everything that the world is right now. So this is precious, for that reason. But, of course, I talk in the book about the Gold Rush and why those young men came, and what they did find. And most of them didn’t find gold. They found what Pierre Berton– they found maturity, you know, they became adults. And that was the gold. That was what they found, really.

YT: We talked about the gold and the Gold Rush. So what do you think about Yukon’s “cold rush”?

DT: Well, a little bit long.

YT: Where are people more happy – in cities or in remote areas? Did you meet people in remote areas? How different is their lifestyle from people in the city?

DT: Yeah, I don’t know exactly how to answer that. I would say that in the Yukon, well, there are people that have always lived here, like the First Nations. But Yukon is made a lot from people coming from elsewhere. And those people are coming for different reasons. So, well, for example, I came for– really for the idea of the Yukon; the wilderness, Jack London, everything I read about that book. So, I’m quite happy to be here, because it was a conscious choice. But I know that many people are coming here for money, for a job. And for them, I think many are very happy to live here. And some are not so much. Because, I mean, it’s– the Yukon we know is cold, too, is isolated, dangerous. So maybe those people don’t appreciate that much the Yukon, I don’t know. But, so there are– so it’s hard to generalize, to say.

YT: What things are you concerned about Yukon’s remoteness? What things are you fearful about? Like, what you think that government should do, people should do for remote areas.

DT: Yes, I think that Yukon’s remoteness is an asset, in many ways. It’s an asset, well because people are coming from all over the world for that. So, it has, in some ways, to be conserved, and– but, for sure, since 1942 and the building of the Alaska Highway, it has diminished. Less and less– well, we have more and more roads, it’s less and less remote, for sure. But it’s remote enough, you know. So, yes, I think we should try to keep it that way. But, I have to say, trying to keep things the way they are is very much a romantic idea. It’s a bit a crazy idea, you know. But, maybe I’m crazy too, I don’t know. So– but, still, why would you change something that you love? When you love something, you don’t want it to change. And that’s why I’m saying: well, let’s keep it that way. Don’t build more roads, don’t change it – don’t change the nature of it, because I love it that way. So it’s a very romantic way to see things, but it’s valid because I’m not the only one thinking that way. I’m not the only one, I’m expressing it, but I’m not the only one thinking that way.

YT: People love that type of nostalgia, sadness, remoteness!

DT: Yeah, and what I found when I wrote that book is that– well, talking about nostalgia– because, I mean, in the idea of remoteness, you have the idea you are separated from something. And when you’re separated from something, you have pain – you become- well, you can be nostalgic, melancholic, and all of that. And it’s important to say it, because in North America it’s not a very good thing to say your place is melancholic, because, I mean, everybody should be happy, should have a big smile, and all of that. But it’s important to say, because, I think, for the Yukon, melancholia is a good thing. Because it’s a source of artistic inspiration. It’s– in isolation, as I see, you can look– you can have introspection. And that’s why so many people paint, write, photograph here. Because of that light, positive melancholia. And that’s why I found it was the very essence of the Yukon, that melancholia. And remoteness and melancholia – it’s pretty much the same thing, to me.

YT: Is this your first book? How long have you been writing?

DT: Well, yes, it’s my first book. I’ve been writing for all my life, it seems. I was a history teacher a few years ago, and now I’m working in the translation you need for the Yukon government. So, I like words, I like play on words, I like poetry, and I’m an avid reader too – I read a lot.

YT: Were you born in the Yukon, or you just came to Yukon from somewhere else and fell in love with it?

DT: Yeah, it’s pretty much that story, yes. But I would say that I was already in love in the Yukon before seeing it. Because I read all those Jack London stories and all of that, so I was already in it. Plus, my father was a trapper in the Quebec wilderness. So every year when I was going in Quebec, I could see, you know, the North, and the forest, and animals, and all that. So, I mean, I fell in it in a very early age– at a very early age, so…

YT: Ok. So where did you come from originally?

DT: I’m from France, and part of me– my dad was from Quebec.

YT: What’s the price of your book, and where can people go to buy your book?

DT: The price is $25.00 in town. So they can buy it in the stores, in the Yukon. Or you can have it on the web too – on amazon.com.

YT: It must be cheaper over there.

DT: Yes, it’s a little bit cheaper over there. Yes. And you can– sorry. You can have it as an e-book too, for those who like electronic books.

YT: What else do you want to say about your book, to the readers?

DT: Well, I invite them to read it, for sure. If they have questions, or– about remoteness, or if they are interested by the subject, yes, for sure. And if they are interested by the DNA of the Yukon, I think, the identity of the Yukon. I think, knowing more about what is remoteness will tell you a lot more about the Yukon than gold, for example. Gold is just– well, it’s part of history, but it’s not so much part of identity as remoteness is, I think.

YT: Yeah. So your book– summary of your book is that real gold of Yukon is its remoteness.

DT: Completely. Yes, completely.

YT: Thank you so much Damien for coming for this interview!

DT: Thanks for having me!

Whitehorse is known for many great artistic activities. One of them is The Grand Ole Northern Opry. Kim Beggs is a producer and an artistic director of the Northern Opry Project. She came to the Yukon Times office for an interview. It is here what she told us:-

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YT: Thank you so much Kim Beggs for coming to Yukon Times for this interview. So, what did inspire you to start Grand Ole Northern Opry?

KB: Well the inspiration for The Grand Ole Northern Opry came out of many conversations in Baked Café, with another friend – Dale Harnesh –, and he also helps with organising The Grand Ole Northern Opry. I am– my name is Kim Beggs and I am the producer and the artistic director of The Grand Ole Northern Opry. And the Opry is an annual event that takes place each winter solstice – we’re having our second annual this December 20th and 21st. And it involves artists from all over the Yukon, from emerging to established. The goals of the Opry are about bringing emerging and established artists together, about bringing artists from the communities into Whitehorse to interact with the many artists that are in Whitehorse, and kind of bring people a little bit more out of isolation. Isolation is really good for creativity, it’s amazing. But when you’re trying to sort of move forward with your art, and also your artistic goals, and maybe music career goals, it’s really, really great to be able to network and get to know other people in the industry in the Yukon. So that’s part of– one of the inspirations about the Opry. It’s also about pushing the envelope. So, for an emerging artist, pushing the envelope might be just performing on a really big stage, in front of a lot people. And for established artists, that would be a different thing, because they’re used to it – they do that all the time. So, what are the ways that we can get established artists to push their envelope, take them a little bit out of their comfort zone? And that– one of the ways that we do that is: we have new songs commissioned for the Opry. So we’ll have writers write songs for somebody else to sing. So, the writers are no longer writing for themselves, they have to think about how the other person sings, and what is their vocal range, and think about the other person’s comfort as well. And in the same way, an established artist will be– might be singing that song, or it might be an emerging artist singing that song. So it’s like a, you know, it’s a whole different adventure, to be singing somebody else’s song. And it’s not just the old top 40 cover tune thing, it’s something completely different. And another benefit of that is also about mixing up DNA, and that’s something that’s a huge benefit to any artist – to work with another artist and collaborate. And then you come away with something new, a new kind of influence. And you may use that influence down the road, or you might not. You may want to work with that person again, or you might just appreciate having a– writing a different kind of song. Because I think what happens with a lot of song writers is: we end up– we have a pattern, and we have our influences. And it’s really good to shake it up a little bit, and have some new DNA, and write a different kind of song. And I think that once you try that, it is with you forever – it teaches you how to try something different. The other thing about the Opry is about artists getting paid, [laughs]. And one of our main funders – well our only funder this year – is Arts Fund. And one of the things that makes an application really strong is that artists are getting paid. And that’s important to them, and it’s really important to me, as an artist – I like getting paid! [Laughs] ‘Cause we all have to– we all gotta pay the rent and we got all our bills to pay, and we can’t– you know, artists are often called upon to volunteer, to play for free at fundraising events. And that’s great – we love to do it, but once in a while, we need to get paid, ‘cause we’ve got bills. And then the other– one of the last components – but there are many components to the Opry – is the mentoring that happens between the emerging artists and the established artists. And that’s something that we have– the whole Opry is actually about six days long. We’ve got the two nights of the actual show, which is December 20th and 21st. We have two days of rehearsal – full day rehearsals at the Arts Centre, on the December 18th and 19th. And on December 16th and 17th, we have the Opry music camp. And the main purpose of this camp is about bringing– is just a place for the artists to gather and be in one place. And especially when artists are coming from out of town. It just gives a venue for the exchanges to take place. It’s comfortable, you’re there all day, there’s food. And it just– it allows the exchange to unfold in a really comfortable way, and with as little stress as possible. And we want people to feel really good.

YT: Good, good.

KB: And that helps with preparing them for the big show, because it’s a high-end show, and we want everybody to be able to perform their best. And I think to perform your best, you have to feel your best, you have to feel really good about yourself. And we want to help with that.

YT: Good. So who’s coming to participate in this show?

KB: We’ve got singers, musicians – some of the– most musicians are singers, but many of them aren’t, but we have like, The Grand Ole Opry band ensemble, which is made up of six great musicians. And that ensemble backs up all the singers during the Opry. So we’ve got singers, we’ve got musicians, we’ve also got some country dancers. And we have songwriters, and we have “general writers”, and performers.

YT: Good. So how many Yukon artists are involved in this project?

KB: I was just counting it up this morning, and we’ve got 32 Yukon artists, and we also have about 13 Yukon production members, and we’ll have about 20 volunteers.

YT: Good.

KB: And people– we have some out of province and out of country participants as well. We’ve two Northwest Territory artists coming, we have one from Ohio, Texas, which also is our old friend, Jerome Stewart, who used to– was a Yukoner, before he moved to Ohio. And we also have two artists from Oregon, and one of which also used to be a Yukoner.

YT: So what type, or kind of music and dancing there will be?

KB: It’s all about country music. And we try to stick to the old-time country music, rather than the new commercial type of country. We really like the old-time country. You know, it’s– there’s just something so appealing [laughs] about it, and it just really tells an interesting story. And I feel like the old-time country music really gets to the heart of the matter, and makes you feel things. And especially at this time of year, when it’s very dark and cold – winter solstice – we’re all feeling a lot of things. And we’re feeling the darkness, we’re feeling the isolation, and it’s nice to come together in a place where music that makes you feel even more is being performed. And we can all feel together [laughs], we can feel sad and we can feel happy. And it’s a very powerful experience.

YT: Good. So I heard that there will be two-step dancing. Tell me more about that.

KB: Yeah, we have some two-stepping that happens. So in, not necessarily all the songs, but many of the songs, we’ll have the two-step dancers go out and two-step on the stage while the song is being performed. And that’s just– it’s not to take the focus off the singer, but it just offers another kind of a visual for the audience. And a real bonus about it is that we do have the Opry signed for the deaf and the hard of hearing. And we have it signed on one night only – it’s December 20th. And we thought that it would also give a visual kind of rhythm to the music, that can’t necessarily be heard. And the music– the lyrics of the music are being signed, so they can get the meaning of the song. And also, our Master of Ceremonies, whatever he is saying, will also be signed. So it just gives– rather than just paying attention to words, it also gives a way of feeling the music in a rhythmic way. We’re kind of hoping that we can get some members of the deaf and hard of hearing community to get up dancing. I will be speaking with them later this afternoon. [Laughs]

YT: Good.

KB: And I want to encourage that. So we have some really, really good dancers that know how to lead and that– We’ll just see how it goes, I mean people have to be comfortable. But we would be really open to that happening. And having more of the general public getting up dancing as well. If they’re dressed country.

YT: So can you tell me about which date timeline of this event is happening? Starting time, I think, time…

KB: Yeah. It begins at 8p.m. So on Friday, December 20th and Saturday, December 21st. It’s the same show both nights, and it starts at 8 o’clock, and it will be a two-and-a-half-hour show.

YT: At Yukon Arts Centre.

KB: At the Yukon Arts Centre, that’s right. And people can buy tickets – they can get them online, or at http://www.yukontickets.com, or you can go to the Yukon Arts Centre Box Office. Or you can go to Arts Underground, on Main Street.

YT: Good. So will there be any food or snacks, or any other thing, any different?

KB: We’re hoping so. I don’t know yet. I mean, there’s a– I don’t think that I should– because we were talking about having– doing like a fundraiser for the Philippines there. But I feel like it’s still in just discussion mode, and I don’t think that I– I have to talk to Tamara and Janice before I, like, put it out there, so…

YT: So, about this project–

KB: So if we did that, then we would want to invite the rest of the Filipino community, because– anyway, all I can say is: we hope so. [Laughs]

YT: Yes. So, to know more about this project – Grand Ole Northern Opry – which website, or where can people go to find more information about it?

KB: Ok. We have a few presences on the web; we have our website, which is: northernopryproject.com. We also have a Facebook page, which you can Like, and you can follow us on Twitter, and we also have a YouTube page that we are building. Right now, we have the Air North jingle posted on that.

YT: Good. So what are your thoughts about the future of this project? Like future plans.

KB: Future plans. Well, I would ultimately like to have a lot more song-writing commissions. The organisation of that is a little bit difficult, because it’s a lot of people matching. You have to match writers, and then you have to match who they’re going to write for, what singer. And so it’s a very– a lot of thought has to go into that to make it right. But I would ultimately– I think it’s a very fun part of the show, and I’d like to have more of that. And also, my view about the Opry is that, eventually, every single Yukon musician who is aspiring to be, you know, somewhat professional, will have the opportunity to play at the Opry. We just can’t hire everybody, every year. So no one should ever feel, like, left out. It shouldn’t feel– it’s not exclusive. It is about being inclusive.

YT: So, thank you so much, Kim Beggs, for coming to Yukon Times for this interview, and we wish all the best for your project.

KB: Thank you, Gurdeep.

Air North – Yukon’s Airline is starting a new service to Yellowknife and Ottawa in the first quarter of 2014. In an interview, the Yukon Times editor Gurdeep Pandher spoke with Allan Moore who is the Airline’s director of commercial development, regarding this new route and the Airline’s future plans.

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YT: Congratulations on your new service! Looks like Air North is spreading its wings far East. How are you feeling?

AN: We are nervous. It’s a new opportunity for us. Normally we just operate in the North-South type structure. This is the first time we’re going out towards the East. And it’s exciting times, but we’re just trying to satisfy our customers – the Yukon customers. So we’re not really in competition with anybody. We’re not trying to take anything away, or– But we– It’s important that we look after our Yukon customers.

YT: That’s great. So, first, tell us a little bit about Air North – the history background, so that– there are so many new people in the Yukon, and outsiders. They would like to know.

AN: Air North is 37 years old. It started as a bush flying company. And, going on 12 years now, they bought jets, and they entered the Vancouver market. So that’s become a really big part of what we do. And it’s 49% owned by the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation – the development arm. And we’re providing service throughout the Yukon. And now looking to, obviously again, satisfy the needs of theYukoners by broadening our markets.

YT: About your new service– So when are you going to start this new service to Yellowknife and Ottawa?

AN: In the first quarter of 2014. We’re waiting for regulatory approval at the moment, so we can’t make the announcement on the days of the week or the times. But we’re looking at twice-weekly operation. And very obviously, we’re trying as much as possible to get it to fit in with what we believe – and what we’ve heard – is federal government and territorial government travel.

YT: That’s great. So, this new service, how many jobs will it create?

AN: It should create about ten extra jobs.

YT: Ten full-time?

AN: Ten full-time jobs. And the reason being is that we’re spreading our work day, so we’re coming in and leaving at different times. As opposed to now which has got a really early morning rush, and then a late afternoon rush. We’re going to be leaving at different times, which means that you have to stretch your shifts. And then you’re also flying a lot more. One flight, one way is equivalent to three round-trips to Vancouver. So you’re potentially putting a lot more time and, you know, wear on the aircraft, which is– we’ll need people to deal with that.

YT: Ok, where are you also having people from? Yellowknife and Ottawa too, to support there?

AN: Normally what we do is we take a local person, to run the operation there. But we use a local service provider. So, ourselves, we normally take on one person, in each city. But we do utilise– like we ground handle for other airlines here. They return the compliment and we pay them to do the work, yes.

YT: Good. So is this Air North’s own venture, or is there any department of government or any private organization supporting this?

AN: The idea for this flight was actually hatched on a Premier’s trip to Germany. We looked at– obviously done the math and the homework on the flight. We knew what was viable and what wasn’t viable. And we knew how to do the, you know, timing of the aircraft, and the number of duty hours. But when we went to Germany, myself, the Premier, and the Minister of Tourism spoke for a very long time about it, and that’s what really hatched the egg, rather than creating the egg. And so it was a fantastic idea, and that’s what really got us interested. So it was really the Premier’s trip to Germany that triggered it.

YT: So it’s got a little bit Government connection, right?

AN: Not so much Government connection, but more Government encouragement. The Government here is savvy enough to realise that by putting on this flight, it’s creating extra jobs, it’s creating extra revenue. It’s just building on a lot of stuff, which benefits the Yukon. So there’s no Government interference in our airline, whether it be federal or territorial, but they will, you know, do anything they can to create jobs to Yukoners, to stimulate the economy. And in line with that, this is a perfect meshing of the two synergies.

YT: Good. So what will be the traveling time from Yukon to Yellowknife, and from Yellowknife to Ottawa?

AN: It’s approximately an hour and a half from here to Yellowknife, depending obviously on the weather and which direction you’re flying in. And then there will be a 40-minute wait in Yellowknife while we refuel, take on passengers, you know – disembark and embark passengers. And then it’s about a four hour, fifteen minute flight down to Ottawa. So a big step up for us.

YT: A lot of time to eat candies!

AN: A lot of time, and we’re just lucky a lot of people start taking the tablets and laptops on board, because otherwise we’re going to end up with some really bored people.

YT: Yes. So, how well does this new service benefit the Yukon economy?
AN: It’s– well, straight up, it’s– we’re going to look at the green side. You know, a lot of people are flying from the Yukon down South to go back up to Yellowknife. You’re straight away cutting out all those carbon emissions by flying directly across. Then you’ve got the other side of the coin, where it’s creating new jobs. Those people in turn are spenders within the North. If you look at a lot of other airlines that say they’re Northern carriers, they truly aren’t because they’re based either in Calgary or Ottawa or somewhere like that. We are based here, so anything we earn, including revenues, stays in the North. And that’s important to the economy. Putting extra hours in the aircraft means, you know, that we’re servicing the aircraft at more frequent intervals. That means that, you know, we have to spend more money within the North. We’re even looking at trying to get, you know, a mechanics program up here in the North, which will benefit us because then we’ve got a pool to draw from. So the spinoffs from it are huge, for the Government, whether it be accommodation, housing, food, anything.

YT: Yes, yes. Tourism.

AN: Yeah. Talking about tourism, the tourism opportunities have just skyrocketed. Because you’ve got a market in the Ontario area, you know, Ontario-Quebec border, that would love to do Northern lights. And here we’re making it very viable that they can fly up for a weekend, and have three nights of aurora viewing – or three chances of aurora viewing – and going back. So it’s now viable. You’re not having to fly via somewhere. It’s four and a half hours up to Yellowknife, another hour and a half across. We’re looking at a big investment in tourism.

YT: That’s great. So in the East, why did you choose Ottawa instead of Toronto? Because in Toronto there are more people, I believe.

AN: Toronto is a four-hour train ride away. Montreal is a two-hour train ride away. We’ve kind of positioned ourselves in the middle of that triangle.

YT: Oh I see.

AN: It’s giving us a lot more opportunities. If you fly into Ottawa, you can catch a 40-minute flight down to Billy Bishop airport, which is downtown Toronto, and you’ll actually be in downtown Toronto quicker going via Ottawa than you would by flying to Pearson airport in Toronto. That’s the one side. The other side is: we know our customers. We know where they go – we follow the bags – we know where they go from our gateway cities in the South. And– like, we put on the Kelowna flight because a lot of people were sending bags to Kelowna. We know that Victoria and Ottawa are two other big hubs. So we chose Ottawa because there’s a lot more going there than there would be going to Toronto or Montreal. But it’s still central enough in all those cities to give you access to those cities if you need to be. And the third reason is that we look at where our territorial Government traffic goes, and where the Federal traffic comes from, and that’s Ottawa.

YT: Yes, that makes sense. So how many flights will fly every week on this new route? Two I think?

AN: It’s two return flights a week.

YT: Ok, that’s great. So how much traffic are you expecting from Yellowknife when it stops there?

AN: From Yellowknife? A lot, because it’s a slightly bigger population there than in the Yukon, number one. But they’ve also got a lot of diamond mines there, and the majority of– or, by far the biggest sector of workers at the diamond mines are from the East coast. So flying into Ottawa, there’s direct connections through to Newfoundland and to New Brunswick. And these are men that are on their break, and they really just want to get home quickly rather than spend half the day in Vancouver, or Edmonton, or Calgary, or somewhere. Or flying via the North – via Iqaluit. They actually want to be at home as soon as possible. So we’ve taken that into consideration as well.

YT: Great. So do you see any competition with the other airlines due to this new route?

AN: There’s always competition, no matter what you do. It’s who’s got the biggest buck, who takes the first try at it. This route – to Yellowknife – used to be operated a couple of years back, and it didn’t have the right market. And this is why we’ve combined the two. So not only do you have just a Whitehorse-Yellowknife, but you’ve now got a Whitehorse-Ottawa, and a Yellowknife-Ottawa option to make the flight viable. So we put three options in instead of one, which it’s– you know, it just means that you have to be less successful on one sector than combined successful on three sectors.

YT: Good. Air North is loved by passengers because it provides meals, cookies, things like these for free. So it’s a long trip. So what else are you going to do that– just to please passengers.

AN: Accordingly, if you travel one of our short flights, it’s different from the two-hour flight. And likewise, this will be different from– this four-hour flight will be different. We’re looking at a totally different menu – a more substantial meal than the big roll or– you know, that you get right now. We have looked at in-flight entertainment, but with the way technology is going right now– and we do look, and we do gather from our passengers that the majority carry either a tablet, a smartphone, or a laptop. And so, the days of providing in-flight entertainment are really becoming yesterday. I mean, we were having a conversation earlier about, you know, it’s– smart phone technology is the way to go. You can watch a movie. And so you’re putting that in the hands of the people as to what they want to watch.

YT: Yeah, now we don’t need TV’s in the flight.

AN: You don’t need TV’s in the flight. And a lot of people don’t realise how heavy the equipment is, to provide that in-flight service. I mean, you take any other 737 top operation – if each screen weighs half a kilogram. Right through the aircraft, you know. That’s an extra 60 kilograms. And there’s a cost to transporting that. Not only that, you’ve got the actual boxes underneath the middle seat. Not only does it compromise the middle seat passenger’s leg room, but it’s a really weighty piece of equipment. So by letting people use the equipment that they actually bring on board, we’re going to be saving cost there, and greenhouse gas emissions.

YT: Yeah, that makes sense. So you are going to connect Yukon and NWT with this new service. Great. Will you be starting service to Nunavut in future, to connect all the three territories – entire North?

AN: Absolutely, it’s on our radar. But connecting the third capital is really not servicing Yukoners, which is our main aim. Would we look at something? Absolutely. Would we look at anything. Do we get a lot of requests for it? Absolutely. We get a lot of requests to go across to Nunavut. But the big thing is that our business credo – our motto – is to service Yukoners, not to service people from the other territories. We don’t expect other people to come in and try and pirate our market, and we wouldn’t do the same.

YT: Ok. So, same thing. Will primary focus on Yukon, or are you going to ship some of your business to Northwest Territories?

AN: No. If we pick up business out of the Northwest Territories, like I was speaking about earlier, that’s a bonus that makes this flight viable. But the flight is intended to be a Whitehorse-Ottawa, or Whitehorse-Yellowknife. The fact that we get a bonus sector in that can make the flight viable. It’s just, you know, good planning.

YT: Ok. So, would you be buying new planes to meet needs of this new route, or do you already have enough fleet?

AN: We have a big enough fleet. I believe that our fleet is underutilized. When you look at the utilization of aircraft at other airlines in Canada, they’re operating an aircraft up to 14, 16 hours a day. Whereas our usage is way down from that. We don’t have the network they have, but what we do have is a plan for better aircraft utilization. We will actually bring aircraft in, rotate aircraft out, so that we’ve got more planes available to us to perform the routes that we need to.

YT: Are you exploring other destinations as well? South, East?

AN: Absolutely. We are looking the whole time. You know, if we don’t move, we’re going to get [inaudible], and it behooves us to actually look at other stations. Looking at BC is obviously in our interest, and in the interest of Yukoners. We’ve got to see where Yukoners go to university, where they shop, where they have family – that type of thing. And so it kind of highlights Victoria as a really stand-out destination. But we’ve got to learn to crawl before we walk, and we need to get the Yellowknife-Ottawa route running properly before we start exploring anything else.

YT: You added a new route at Kelowna this summer – seasonal route. How is that going?

AN: During the summer it was fantastic. We were full most flights. And some of the flights we actually had to put on a bigger aircraft, just to meet the capacity. It’s been highly successful. We extended it through the winter. We’re kind of in a trough season right now, between summer and winter. Although – you look outside – winter has struck, it hasn’t really sunk home yet. And there gets a point in time when people want to get out of the snow and the ice, and Kelowna becomes a really viable option, with good weather.

YT: Yeah, tourism.

AN: And good tourism. So from that point of view, it’s very very important. And we’re expecting an upturn in business, but currently, as I say, it is in a trough. But it’s not discouraging.

YT: Good. So you have your booking system online, through your website.

AN: Yes.

YT: So that causes the demand of the next generation, young people especially – they are tech-savvy. They are looking for booking system through tablets, iPhone apps, Android apps. Are you going to do something with–?

AN: Absolutely. We’re busy with that right now. We’ve just introduced online check-in. You can check-in online, you can get a boarding pass online. There’s a lot of that happening. But, once again, it’s a matter of learning to, you know, to crawl before you can walk. And we’ve got a fantastic team who are working on that. The product – the online check-in product – has been wildly successful, with a higher uptake, believe it or not, out of the Yukon than most southern cities. So we were very surprised at the higher uptake of online check-in.

YT: So how much percent of your business do you get from your website?

AN: From the red website, it’s by far the biggest– the majority of our business is done on the website, or through agencies, or through online travel agencies. But just as far as that goes – the online check-in – is about 30%, around there.

YT: Great, which is great. So my last question is: What do you see as future of Air North?

AN: Good question. And I ask myself that every day. Are we going in the right direction? What are we correctly? I think we have to cement ourselves as the airline of the Yukon, not try and be number 3 carrier, number 2, anything like that, within the country. We need to service the people that support us. We need to keep Whitehorse in the loop – in other words, we need to keep the base here. We need to work on that. And we need to provide a product that satisfies Yukoners, whether it’s bringing people to the Yukon – and letting Yukoners have that opportunity of business – or taking Yukoners out. So I see us as looking at more routes in the long-term, but not expanding that it becomes a beast that we can’t manage. I believe that we service our shareholders very well, and I think a lot of our expansion has to be supported by the shareholders. So whatever we do in the future – no matter what grand plans I might conjure up – I don’t think it’s anything that the board wouldn’t approve. But we have to keep that in mind.

YT: Alright, thank you so much for talking to Yukon Times. Thank you so much.

AN: Absolute pleasure, Gurdeep. Thank you.