Wasaya working to slow drug trade

With the prescription drug abuse epidemic growing, Wasaya Airways is working to prevent contraband items from reaching First Nations.
But the airline feels like it is fighting a losing battle, said John Beardy, who heads the customer service and sales department at the airline.
Beardy said luggage screening still isn’t a reality for bags and freight being shipped to northern First Nations.
“Some of the airports we land at are not designated by Transport Canada for screening of passengers and baggage,” he said.
Those not included on the list include each of the First Nations it serves and the communities it has hangars in including Red Lake, Pickle Lake, Timmins and Sioux Lookout.
The only airport in northwestern Ontario with screening is the Thunder Bay International Airport, Beardy said.
The other airports and landing strips Wasaya uses don’t fall under the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) program, he said.
Little has changed with regard to the flow of contraband since a February 2009 chief’s forum on prescription drug abuse in Thunder Bay.
“Given the supply of goods and services entering into remote First Nation communities occurs almost exclusively by air transportation, it is reasonable to request and expect regional air carriers to work in partnership with First Nations to assist in the slowing distribution,” Wasaya Airways president and CEO Tom Morris said at the time.
“We acknowledge substance abuse is vast, complex and impacts negatively on many lives,” Morris said. “It is both a policing and social problem that is not limited to First Nations territories or its peoples.”
Beardy said Wasaya is looking for the support of chiefs to improve security at the airports.
“It is a challenge for us,” he said. “We know we cannot stop the flow of drugs coming in and out. That’s the challenge we face.”
Beardy said using private security systems could help. In a document titled Aviation Security Measures, Curing Contrabands to the First Nations, the airline lays out the framework for a six-step plan.
It is something the airline is working towards, though the support of the chiefs and communities, as well as airports and other partners would be necessary.
One of the biggest obstacles the airline faces is passenger’s rights.
“Technology can’t infringe on a person’s right,” Beardy said. “We must follow the regulations … and can only (presently) search for dangerous goods.”