Expanded BBE Business Development Team prepares for growth

November 10, 2008

In our 2009 business plan, BBE will focus on expanding its reach and streamlining its processes needed to achieve continued growth. In order to facilitate this, we have expanded the Business Development team and allocated areas of responsibility on a regional basis. Our current phase of expansion will see BBE introduce three new regions
we believe are required to meet our 2009 objectives:

Western Canada (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan)
Western Arctic (Yukon, NWT, Mackenzie Valley corridor)
Manitoba Corridor (Manitoba, NW Ontario, Nunavut - Kivalliq region)

Dragos Niculescu will be responsible for Western Canada, as the Regional Manager, Business Development. Many of you have worked with Dragos over the past five years in a variety of business development functions and probably know him best as the Manager, Sales and Service for the Edmonton operation. Dragos has a wealth of freight forwarding contacts, experience and knowledge of BBE and our business model. We are pleased he will continue to grow BBE's business in Western Canada, from his base in Edmonton.

dniculescu@bbex.com cell 780-238-4067

Sean Gray will be joining the BBE team as Regional Manager, Western Arctic, based in Inuvik. Sean is also well known to the BBE management team from his previous role with the Inuvialuit Development Corporation as its General Manager, Aviation Services. In this role Sean was responsible for overseeing Aurora Expediting Services and Aklak Air in Inuvik for four years. We are pleased Sean is joining the BBE team and, and will be developing new business opportunities in the Western Arctic. Sean brings extensive aviation, logistics and business development expertise, and an intimate understanding of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, where he has lived for over 20 years.

sgray@bbex.com cell 867-678-0236

Marc Cool has joined BBE as the Regional Manager, Business Development for our new Manitoba Corridor, based in Winnipeg. Many of you will be familiar with Marc as he has worked indirectly with BBE over several sealift seasons in support of Agnico Eagle's Meadowbank project. Marc oversaw the operation of Kivalliq Marine Transportation Services in Churchill, Manitoba between 2003 and 2008. He brings to BBE varied experience supporting frontier resource projects across northern Ontario and the Hudson Bay resource region, utilising a wide variety of transportation solutions..

mcool@bbex.com cell 204-801-2797

Please join us in welcoming Sean and Marc to the BBE team!

Inuvik father, daughter co-pilot northern passenger flight

October 1, 2008

A father-daughter team from Inuvik, N.W.T., made a Canadian North passenger flight rather memorable Tuesday by flying the Boeing 737 jet together to their hometown.

Pilots Capt. Cecil Hansen (left) and First Officer Dawn Hansen sit in the cockpit at the end of their flight Tuesday from Edmonton to Inuvik, N.W.T. (Maia Lepage/ICS).

First Officer Dawn Hansen, 29, sat next to her father, Capt. Cecil Hansen, 63, as they co-piloted their first flight together, travelling from Edmonton to Inuvik.

Family members and friends gathered at the Inuvik airport Tuesday to celebrate their arrival.

"It's probably one of the coolest experiences of my life, for sure," Dawn Hansen said Tuesday, sitting next to her father in the cockpit.

"Growing up, you always respect your father; you grow up with him," she said. "And then, to be able to sit next to him is a pretty high honor, for sure."

The younger Hansen cut her teeth flying short propeller plane flights from Inuvik. Cecil Hansen said Dawn has worked hard over the past three years to become a Canadian North pilot

"That people, you know, put her in that seat there is quite an accomplishment for a girl of her experience level," he said. "But, I'll tell you, not too much longer [and] she'll be showing me a few things, I think."

The elder Hansen, who has been a pilot for 39 years, said he was worried he would retire before having the chance to fly alongside his daughter.

"It's a dream come true, really, once she decided to become a pilot," he said. "I never thought I'd get to the stage where she'd fly with me. It's a privilege to fly with her up here."

As for anyone wondering about any father-daughter arguments in the cockpit, Dawn Hansen said they can rest assured: "The cockpit's quite a bit different, for sure," she said. "We get our job done and it's all professional."

Nunavut students are outward bound

July, 2008

Nine of ten very excited students from across Nunavut arrived in Yellowknife on June 27 to embark upon this year's Nunavut Youth Leadership Outward Bound and Career Orientation expedition. The first part of the experience is a two-week canoe trip on the Horton River.

The young participants, aged 16-19, come from communities in the North Qiquktani, South Qiqiktani, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot Regions. Each year students apply to their High School principals to participate in the expedition and go through a selection process before being accepted.

The Adventure Begins

Adventure-based education has a long and successful history of providing opportunities for people to learn fundamental skills - the ability to overcome challenges through innovation and change, to work well with others, to communicate effectively, to take responsibility for one's actions and to work towards long-term goals despite short-term inconveniences. These are the hallmarks of good leaders and the stated goals of the Arctic Youth Leadership Expeditions.

These annual expeditions are designed to be an opportunity for learning and growth. The central goal of the program is to show the young people who participate that they can overcome obstacles, find inner courage, strength and resilience, and in the process become leaders.

This is the 5th such expedition that Inuvialuit Development Corporation (IDC) has sponsored. The Nunasi Corporation has also sponsored a Youth Leadership Expedition for the last two years.

Nine of ten very excited students from across Nunavut arrived in Yellowknife on June 27

An Exciting Journey

The two-week white water river trip takes place on the Horton River. Considered the ‘crown jewel' of Canadian rivers, it is a point of pride for the Inuvialuit. Located in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, it flows into the Arctic Ocean west of Paulatuk.

The outdoor experience is designed to encourage youth to discover what is uniquely strong about them as people and how they can use these "assets" to help them on their journeys into adulthood.

Looking to the Future

Once the students have completed the outdoor portion of the program, NorTerra Inc. takes them on a company tour in Edmonton and Hay River before they return home.

The students receive a guided tour of Weldco-Beales Manufacturing and the NorTerra Inc. corporate headquarters in Edmonton along with a tour of Grant MacEwan College, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and the University of Alberta.

Then it's off to Hay River for a tour of the Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) Syncro Facility and one of their famous icebreaking vessels, the M.V. Kakisa.

Most importantly, the students have an opportunity to meet and speak to employees and professionals about their career choices for their future.

Says NorTerra's Wanda Norwegian, Director HR and Career Development:

"Our Human Resources Development Program for beneficiaries is one of NorTerra's most important corporate objectives. NorTerra's success has been recognized by Human Resources Development Canada. The students get so much from this experience and can access lots of opportunities within our Group of Companies."

Our Sponsors

Generous sponsorship of the Arctic Youth Leadership Expeditions makes these life-changing journeys possible. A variety of corporations and businesses operating in the north have given back to northern communities through their support of the Arctic Youth Leadership Expeditions.

We would like to say a big thank you to the sponsors:

Inuvialuit Development Corporation - Akita Equtak Drilling Ltd; Aklak Air; ATCO Group; Chevron; Inuvialuit Oilfield Services; NorTerra Inc.; Northwest Territories Municipal and Community Affairs; Schlumberger; Stanton Group Ltd.; and The Michael R. Shaw Outdoor Development Foundation.

Nunasi Corporation - ATCO Frontec; Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation; Canadian North; Kitikmeot Corporation; Nasittuq; NCC Investment Group Inc.; NorTerra Inc.; Northern Transportation Company Limited; Nunasi Ryfan Construction Services; Nunavut Government; and Qikiqtaaluk Corporation.

Watch This Space

The Inuvialuit students are about to embark upon their outward bound program week commencing July 14. Further updates and photos of both programs will be available on this website shortly.

Further Information

If you would like to know more about the Youth Leadership Outward Bound and Career Orientation expeditions, please contact:

Wanda Norwegian, Director HR & Career Development, NorTerra Inc.
Tel: 867-669-4048
Email: wjn@norterra.com

Or visit: www.arcticyouthleadership.ca

Christmas comes early for kids in tiny Igloolik thanks to generous donors

July, 2008

Canadian North Christmas Crowd

Santa’s sled was being serviced and his reindeer were off on vocation, so Canadian North Airlines stepped in to help the Skate North project deliver hockey gear to children in the North earlier this year in July.

Igloolik is an island located between the Melville Peninsula (the top of Hudson Bay’s right arm) and Baffin Island and is very isolated.

Sheila Butt had travelled in the Arctic for a decade as a Federal Government Consultant until a few months ago when she launched a campaign she hoped would help to raise self-esteem and improve fitness in the community’s youth – Skate North.

“I thought giving youths the equipment to play hockey – our national sport – would help them to savour life more,” says Sheila. “Many kids play street hockey but they don’t have skates and other equipment. Skates are just too expensive. If Canadian North hadn’t donated cargo space, it would’ve cost us $12,000 to fly in our 2,000 lb (900 kg) of hockey gear.”

“My sincere thanks to everyone who donated” says Sheila who was originally looking for “gently used” skates. “We took up 42 hockey bags stuffed to the brim.”

Igloolik Mayor Paul Quassa (right) thanks Edmonton’s Sheila Butt

The load included 310 pairs of skates; 1,000 hockey jerseys; 50 hockey sticks; 40 pairs of hockey pants; 40 pairs of socks and 100 pucks and goalie uniforms. Also included in the load were hockey nets that can be used for street hockey during the summer months.

Around 60 youngsters arrived on a school bus to welcome the delivery at the airport. The kids went wild when the Canadian North turbo-prop flew in with some 1,800 presents for them.

Igloolik Mayor Paul Quassa thanked Sheila for her efforts and said that the community appreciation was obvious as demonstrated by the number of youngsters who had turned out to greet them.

Dean Thorpe from Radio 790 CFCW did a live broadcast from Igloolik at the time and talked about how this project could not have happened without Canadian North. Sheila reiterates a big “thank you to Canadian North for helping to make Skate North a reality for the people of Igloolik.”

Weldco-Beales manufacturing ‘grabs’ new distribution rights

June, 2008

With over 60 years of experience, WBM defines the standards in heavy equipment attachment design and manufacturing. Their committed team of professionals offers a full range of innovative products that allow customers to succeed in the construction, resource, forestry, mining and road maintenance industries.

In June this year, WBM announced it has established North American distribution rights with Wedgelock Equipment, a leading provider of pin-grabber couplers.

Weldco-Beales Manufacturing ‘Grabs’ New Distribution Rights

Wedgelock is New Zealand's leading supplier of attachments for the civil earthworks, general contracting and forestry industries. Its products are exported around the globe.

Pin-grabbers are a type of coupler that attaches to the end of the boom on an excavator that allows WBM's attachments (buckets/rippers/hammers/rakes) to be connected to the excavator. Using the coupler, the operator can switch between different attachments from within the cab without using tools.

"Wedgelock Equipment's full line of pin-grabber couplers is a significant addition to WBM heavy equipment attachment product offering," said Doug Schindel, WBM's President. "With safety being our industry's number one priority, the independent, initial and instant safety system built into the new Wedgelock I-Lock coupler will be well received by our customers."

At present, WBM will distribute Wedgelock's pin-grabber couplers to equipment dealers in Canada as well as the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Hawaii, Colorado, California and New Mexico. From sales to support, WBM will stand behind the Wedgelock product with the same dedication and level of professionalism that has helped to make WBM one of North America's leading manufacturers of heavy equipment attachments.

NTCL breakfast program in Kugluktuk

Summer, 2008

After responding to a number of individual school requests for donations to their Breakfast Programs, NTCL decided to go ahead and start its own program earlier this year.

The children from Gjoa Haven School express their thanks to NTCL

The program is very simple but effective. NTCL asked each school in the Western Arctic and Kitikmeot to indicate what they would require in the form of food for their program. This food order would then be delivered to their school at no cost to the school.

All the schools participate in some form of program by providing breakfast to students, usually by fund raising or tapping into other funding programs. NTCL's program came as an addition to what they were already doing.

There was a further bonus with the dollar value prices in Hay River being lower, allowing NTCL's money to go a lot further.

November 10, 2008

Western Canada (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan)
Western Arctic (Yukon, NWT, Mackenzie Valley corridor)
Manitoba Corridor (Manitoba, NW Ontario, Nunavut - Kivalliq region)

mcool@bbex.com cell 204-801-2797

Please join us in welcoming Sean and Marc to the BBE team!