Tourist outfitter benefits from exploration activity

Tourist outfitter and flying service enterprises sometimes are affected by mining activities. Often they benefit from the spinoffs of mining. Don Massey of Hawk Junction, near Wawa, owns and operates Ontario Wilderness Vacations Limited. He has provided float- plane flying and tourist outfitting services throughout the area for many years and has seen both the positive and negative aspects of mining as they relate to his operations.

“When there’s major staking activity, like with Hemlo at the beginning, there was lots of flying for us,” says Massey. “Everyone wanted to get to the remote areas where claims were open and ground could be staked.”

But once the major rush was over, flying destinations became more precise and helicopter services picked up the bulk of the business, he says.

The most detrimental effect mining has on the tourist outfitting business is when a new mine opens near an outpost camp, Massey said. In one recent case, the traffic and excessive noise from a mining operation resulted in his outfit having to close down a remote outpost facility.

Mining roads also have an impact. When open to the public, they provide fishing, hunting and camping access to areas previously accessible only by air. That increases access to recreational areas for more people, but reduces the demand for Massey’s specialized service.