Perimeter honours former AMC leader Merrick

A Winnipeg-based airline servicing northern Manitoba communities has dedicated its newest aircraft to former Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief Cathy Merrick, with its first mission scheduled Wednesday to assist the people she served.

Merrick died suddenly in September 2024, after collapsing outside of the Winnipeg Law Courts building. She was 63.

Perimeter Aviation’s new Dash 8 includes a sign near the door marking Merrick’s memory in English and Cree, and the plane has been registered as C-GYCM — the last two letters representing her initials.

Perimeter staff first suggested the designation about four months ago, and it was quickly implemented, CEO Joey Petrisor said Wednesday. He described it as a chance to recognize an advocate for the majority of people who take Perimeter’s flights.

“Perimeter has a pretty strong commitment and relationship with the (northern) communities, sometimes for better or worse, but we felt that this is a fitting dedication to someone that’s done a lot for northern Manitoba and Manitoba in general,” he said.

Indigenous leaders spoke about Merrick and her impact at the naming announcement at Perimeter Aviation’s headquarters on Ferry Road.

“Honouring her and acknowledging her on this aircraft, we will continue to see and remind ourselves of the great work that she did when she was our grand chief,” AMC Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said.

Todd Merrick was emotional when he described what the tribute to his late wife meant to his family.

“We’ve got so much pride for what she did and how she affected everyone,” he said Wednesday. “It feels so nice to see people honouring her in that.”

The aircraft’s first flight was to Cross Lake on Wednesday afternoon to pick up residents of Pimicikamak Cree Nation forced to leave home in the midst of a water crisis caused by a multi-day power outage in December.

PCN Chief David Monias said 200 more people are being evacuated because contractors have found 73 more homes are uninhabitable and need extensive repairs. There are 4,400 people from the community already displaced and about 1,300 homes have been damaged, officials said.

Merrick was a member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation.

“When my people go home, it’s Cathy that’s going to take (them) home,” Monias said.

Perimeter has 35 aircraft, including 17 Dash 8s. It services 28 communities in northern Manitoba and northwest Ontario. About half of its 250,000 annual passengers are travelling for medical reasons.

The 66-year-old airline invested $20 million into sweeping changes last year, including tripling the size of its passenger terminal to add 21,000 square feet of space and installing new technology to screen passengers and cargo.

Petrisor said the changes had made a marked difference, namely for the dry communities Perimeter flies to and from, some of which have struggled with contraband.

“We will never catch it all, but I would say that we’re catching the large majority of (smuggled goods attempts),” he said.

Meantime, Petrisor said the airline will continue to lobby the provincial and federal government to provide funding to upgrade runways at northern regional airports.

While Perimeter’s planes are capable of landing if clouds are as low as 200 feet above the ground, the runways in many communities can’t receive aircraft if cloud cover is anything less than 500 feet.

Incoming planes have been forced to miss their destination and turn back, resulting in delays.

“That’s the investment that we’re looking for in order to ensure that our planes can land in those … inclement weather conditions,” Petrisor said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca