WEBEQUIE — Remote tourism camp operators and First Nations economic development officials say they want to see a revival in the far north’s wilderness tourism sector.
There are several privately-owned wilderness camps in the far north under the auspices of a coalition called the Native Camp Operators Alliance, said Glen Wabasse, the economic development officer in Webequie.
The alliance is under the economic development umbrella of Matawa First Nations, who Wabasse said would actively market the camps at venues like large outdoors shows in the United States.
But the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to all that, Wabasse said.
“When the COVID pandemic happened, that's when everything kind of seized (up), and hasn't picked up since,” he said.
Wabasse added that the current tariff war between Canada and the U.S. has caused further uncertainty.
“I see that nobody's going to the U.S., that kind of stuff, with the tariffs that (Donald) Trump is doing,” he said. “I'm not sure (if) Americans are coming to Canada for tourism.”
Matawa chiefs passed a resolution back in 2013 making tourism an economic development priority.
The remote camps primarily offer fishing excursions.
Wabasse said wilderness tourism has been going on in the region for decades; several camps used to be owned by the Webequie First Nation itself, but he said they’ve been solely privately-owned for the past 20-plus years or so.
Webequie Elder George Whitehead is part owner of one of the camps, called Chipai Lake. He said his clients would typically come in by float plane from places like Pickle Lake and Armstrong and would usually stay at the camp for about a week. Prior to COVID, he said, he could usually get four to six groups in per summer, with those groups typically consisting of six to eight people.
Northern pike, walleye and whitefish are the popular catches, he said.
Whitehead said he’s hoping next year will see a rebound in the number of tourists returning.
“I hope that they enjoy themselves, that’s the main part,” he said through his friend Archie Mekanak, who helped translate.
Webequie Coun. Harry Wabasse agreed that the pandemic “had a drastic impact on the camps,” and there are discussions around what can be done to help revive the business.
He said that could extend to increasing capacity for the First Nation to handle float plane traffic; Harry Wabasse said there currently is some ability to do so, but it’s “not up to par.”
“That capacity to build up with tourism,” is important, he said. “Then we'd be able to have a base here and then utilize it for mining, utilize it for cultural (excursions).”