Local Business Leave it to Amik


Aboriginal owned and operated airline providing link to Northern communities By Derek Gagnon


Amik Aviation provides an important link to isolated northern communities. I


t has been a long and arduous journey for Amik Aviation owner Oliver Owen. It's been Oliver's determination to fulfill his dream of flying that paved the way to his suc- cessful airline business.


Oliver was born in a log cabin on Little Grand Rapids


First Nation. When he was very young, he and his two sib- lings were given up by their mother, as she could not afford to provide care for them. “When I was about 14 years old, my mom married my step-dad and was able to take the three of us back in. At the time, my step-dad worked for natural resources looking after fire towers. Te only way to get to these locations was by airplane,” remembers Oliver. It was these family flights that first ignited his interest in flying. His step-dad later took a job at a remote lodge which of course meant more flying, furthering Oliver's excitement and determination to one-day fly his own plane. At the age of 18, Oliver began working at a lodge. He had


promised himself that he would get his pilot’s license, but first he needed to earn money.


28 • Winter 2016


He saved the money he made at that lodge and in the fall of 1978 with $1,200 to his name, he rented an apartment at Notre Dame Avenue and Kate Street in Winnipeg. Oliver had found at job at St. Andrews Airport with Point West Aviation, later Winnipeg Aviation. He commuted via Beaver Bus to the corner of Highway 8 and Highway 27, walking the rest of the way to the airport. Occasionally, during the cold winter months, he’d luck out and get a ride. “Of course I ran out of money. I went to Indian Affairs


(now Indigenous and Northern Affairs) and asked for their assistance in funding my pilot’s license. Tey promptly told me, ‘No, but, we will help you to become a truck driver.’ I didn’t even have a driver’s license at this point,” he says. Re- maining true to his dream, Oliver declined the offer. He returned to St. Andrew’s Airport and began working with Little Grand Rapids Air Service, cleaning planes, han- gars and doing little jobs until he was finally able to pay for his private pilot’s license in 1979. With his first license in hand, Oliver set his sights on the bigger task of getting a commercial pilot’s license and took up


The Hub


All photos courtesy of Amik Airlines unless otherwise noted.


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