Tłı̨chǫ gov't aims to keep tree planting project going in wake of fatal helicopter crash

A helicopter pilot who died Monday following a crash near Behchokǫ, N.W.T.,̀ had been part of a reforestation project, the Tłı̨chǫ government said in a news release Thursday.

"This loss is felt deeply across our communities," Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty stated.

On Monday afternoon, RCMP said the helicopter crashed about 1.5 kilometres from Highway 3, near Behchokǫ̀. The pilot, who has not been named, died from his injuries. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating and has said it is working with Great Slave Helicopters — which the aircraft was registered to — to collect information.

Paul Cressman, a program development officer with the Tlicho government involved in the tree planting project, heard over their radio Monday that the helicopter had gone down. 

He said a lot of people rushed to the scene in hopes of being able to get the pilot out on foot. The aircraft crashed in a brushy area that was difficult to reach, and brush cutters came in to clear a helipad for another chopper to land, he said.

"Unfortunately it just wasn't enough."

Cressman did not know what caused the helicopter to crash. He also did not identify the pilot who died. 

CBC News has reached out to Great Slave Helicopters. As of Thursday evening, the company had not done any interviews or issued any public statements about the crash. 

Listening to Monday's tragedy unfold over their radio, Cressman said he was impressed by the way people remained calm and professional, and by the way people dropped what they were doing to help out. 

Later that night, he said there was a big meeting. 

"Counsellors were made available, we had drummers come out to do a sort of song of respect and a song of passing," he said. "The community just wrapped their arms around these folks who are not from the community." 

Next steps for the tree planting project 

The reforestation project aims to plant a total of 13 million more trees on Tłı̨chǫ land.

In its news release on Thursday, the Tłı̨chǫ government said it would be pausing work on the project for "a period of reflection" and to prioritize its team's health and safety. 

However, Cressman said some tree planting resumed on Thursday though not all of the roughly 95 workers were prepared to return to work. He said the organizations involved are also figuring out how to continue the project, which relies heavily on helicopters to get to remote planting locations, "in a way that's safe, sort of emotionally and mentally for people not wanting to necessarily be in and around helicopters right now." 

"We're figuring things out. There's a desire for the project to be seen through. There's a major focus on everyone's physical and emotional safety right now," said Cressman. 

Cressman said there are about 80 people from outside the Tlicho region staying at a camp near Behchokǫ̀ operated by Spectrum Resource Group. He described the company as the tree planting expert. Seventy of those individuals are tree planters, and the rest are different support positions. 

About 15 Tłı̨chǫ people are being trained to plant as well. 

"We are proud of and grateful to the medical staff, tree planters, wildlife monitors, RCMP, and paramedics who responded swiftly and worked tirelessly in an effort to save the pilot's life," the Tłı̨chǫ government said in its statement.

The government also said, it "[hopes] to continue this meaningful work with both grief and gratitude in our hearts."