THUNDER BAY — The man who led the growth of Bearskin Airlines from a small charter operator to one of the most successful regional carriers in the country is now a member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.
Harvey Friesen was inducted posthumously Thursday at a gala in Calgary, where he was described as a distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Friesen, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 65, joined Bearskin Lake Air Service in 1970 when it was providing charter flights to remote First Nations communities.
As noted in a Northern Ontario Business article published on his death, he had driven a school bus while attending high school in order to pay for his pilot's licence, and later worked at a grocery at Big Trout Lake where he got the chance to fly a small plane to pick up supplies.
In 1972, Friesen purchased half the company, and acquired the other half five years later.
The expansion of Bearskin's fleet and routes happened rapidly thereafter, to the point that by the 1990s it was providing scheduled service across Northern Ontario and into Manitoba.
His nominators from the Air Transport Association of Canada stated that, as president and CEO from 1977 to 2011 — when the airline was sold to Manitoba-based Exchange Income Corporation — "he didn't just help connect communities across the North and with the rest of Canada, but he opened new markets and created new job opportunities for thousands of Canadians."
They said he was first and foremost a pilot, but was also a visionary and a builder of "bridges in the sky" that reinforced the fabric of Canada.
Members of Friesen's extended family were at the induction ceremony, which was also attended by former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
"We were all very honoured to be there. It was a great moment," Cliff Friesen told TBnewswatch.
He said he was ecstatic when he learned his brother was going to be honoured.
"He did a lot of work in the North with aviation...Harv lived and worked at Big Trout Lake with his family for 10 years. He was very well known through the North for all the service that was provided through Bearskin. He was very well-respected."
