Air Inuit employee defends “near-death” story

I’ve been in the airline industry since 1983, working for Nordair, Canadian Pacific, Canadian Airlines, First Air and Air Inuit, the latter of these companies giving me numerous letters of commendation for my good work and initiative, including one from the president of Air Inuit, Peter Horsman.

I’m also a Level 2 Canadian air transport security authority.

Even my 19-year old boy works at Air Inuit. He has since moved to Kuujjuaq, but Air Inuit won’t let him work because I am under investigation. Why? He’s not involved in any way, and now he’s not even in the town I live in.

It’s not relevant to this letter, but my mother, Annie Weetaltuk, was the first Inuk stewardess in Canada. And, yes, I’m an Inuk beneficiary, born and raised in Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik.

I like Air Inuit as a whole. They provide a good essential service and “bravo” for their many medevac flights. I’m sure the airline has saved many lives by getting people to hospital, and, I might add, on flights plagued by bad weather conditions, but still do-able. Again, bravo!

I’m writing because I have a beef with the article “Transport Canada probes beef laid by fired employee,” in the Sept. 24 issue. It goes like this:

1. Aug. 16, I received a letter of suspension stating I was arrested twice in their truck. Totally false, as verified by the local chief of police the same day.
2. Aug. 30, I submitted a grievance letter two weeks after my suspension.
3. Sept. 6, myself, my older sister and four other passengers had a terrifying flight.
4. Sept. 13, I got my termination letter. In the letter, I was fired because of pending charges. I’m the only suspect in a “possession for the purpose of trafficking.” I haven’t gone to court yet. I haven’t even been found guilty! I haven’t even had my preliminary hearing yet. Air Inuit assumes guilt until proven innocent? Do they know something I don’t know?

Anyone out there who knows labour rights and would be willing to help, please feel free to call me.

To top it all off, because I reported our near-death experience on Sept. 13, they leak out to the press that I’m a drug trafficker. The police never did raid my home, I might add.

It was then I said, “I’ve had enough!” I reported the incident of Sept. 6 via telephone calls to the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada, Air Inuit Dispatch and the local flight service station.

To quote Air Inuit’s Jean Dupuis, “It’s not our policy to make customers scared.”

But it did happen: we were scared, we were traumatized.

What is their policy if they do? Myself, and five others haven’t heard from them yet to this day.

Mike Shields
Kuujjuaraapik