The Whistler Municipal Heliport is being Grossly Mismanaged

Letters,

The Pique Newsmagazine,

Whistler, BC

The Whistler Municipal Heliport is being grossly mismanaged. It was constructed in the early 90’s using public money to serve as the community’s aviation facility. Backcomb Helicopters is using their dominant position with the society charged with operating the heliport to prevent any other helicopter companies from getting established in Whistler.

My name is mike Quinn, and I’ve been a resident of whistler and in the aviation business since 1986. In 2012, I sold my floatplane company assets to Harbour Air, and changed the name of my company from Whistler Air to Spearhead Aviation. I reactivated my helicopter operating certificate (Whistler Air operated helicopters from 1992-1997) and attempted to get re-established at the heliport. I was met with fierce opposition from the Whistler Heliport Society. John Morris, the president of the society and the president of Backcomb Helicopters, informed me that there was no room for me at the heliport. It was an absurd excuse; the heliport was designed to accommodate up to 5 helicopter companies, and Backcomb Helicopters was the only operator there. So I went public, and the Pique published my letter shaming Blackcomb Helicopters. Within short order, the municipality stepped in to secure me a lease at the heliport. I held on to the company for 3 years, then sold.

Currently, Denis Vincent, (a well established helicopter operator from Alberta) has been attempting for over a year to get a lease at the heliport. He was met with the same opposition from the Whistler Heliport Society that I encountered. They have refused to answer any of his emails or return his phone calls. So he approached the owner of Spearhead Aviation (my old company) to offer to buy them out.

As soon as the Whistler Heliport Society found out that Mr. Vincent was buying Spearhead Aviation, they immediately cancelled the lease, citing nonsense technicalities as their excuse. There is now a legal fight ensuing over this.

Blackcomb Helicopters carries a lot of weight in this town and it is obvious that those in power are fearful of that. When I approached the municipality to assist Mr. Vincent with his desire to come to Whistler I was turned away. This newspaper was going to publish an in depth article on the matter but their lawyers, fearful of a lawsuit, advised them against publishing.

It’s time for the elected politicians to step up and do the right thing. The federal and provincial governments put over 3 million dollars into building the municipal heliport for the benefit of the entire community - not just the interests of one private company.

I propose the heliport should be managed by the municipality, just like the airports in Pemberton and Squamish. When the Whistler Heliport Society was created, it was assumed that the many operators at the heliport would manage the facility properly. However, the attrition of every operator (except Blackcomb Helicopters) resulted in the society being run solely for one company’s interest.

The bullying tactics used against Spearhead Aviation, Mr. Vincent and his customers are an outrage. There is a demand for competition in the helicopter industry here in Whistler. Competition will benefit the entire community by offering choice and lowering costs. I sincerely hope that those running for office this November take notice of this and make it part of their agenda to address.

Mike Quinn

56-4510 Blackcomb Way,

Whistler, BC

604-760-8716