Mourners gathering to honor victims

SUMMER BEAVER, ON -- The population of small, isolated Summer Beaver swelled to more than double its size in mid-September as family and friends gathered to mourn the loss of seven residents killed in a plane crash on September 11, 2003.

A Wasaya Airways 11-seat Cessna Grand Caravan, flying from Pickle Lake to Summer Beaver, crashed a few kilometres west of the airstrip at the northwestern Ontario reserve.

Summer Beaver is about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Among the dead were the band's deputy chief and two councillors, a land negotiator, a heavy-equipment operator, and a woman and her seven-year-old grandson.

Chief Roger Oskineegish says it's his job to hold up this devastated First Nation.

The fly-in community of about 350 residents is no stranger to tragedy. Less than a year ago, three men--including two band employees--were killed in a house fire. And like many northern communities, Summer Beaver has lost members to suicide, Oskineegish said.

Groups of crisis workers had already arrived from Bearskin Lake, Kingfisher Lake and Webequie first nations in northwestern Ontario to support family members and monitor any dangers of suicide.

"We didn't have any resources in here because the whole community is somehow related to all these individuals," Oskineegish said.

The passengers ranged in age from seven to sixty-four. All but the youngest passenger had been in Thunder Bay that day for tribal council meetings, Oskineegish said. They had driven to Pickle Lake to catch their flight at 7:30 p.m. CDT and should have arrived home an hour later.

Oskineegish said the community suffered a tremendous blow.

"It's a shock. Just about every one is related to one of them, so it's very hard for us," Oskineegish said. "These are people that I worked with every day. My grandfather once told me to expect the unexpected. But this is very hard to bear."

About 500 friends and relatives of the victims converged on Summer Beaver to offer support, including many from Thunder Bay and a handful from Winnipeg.

"We're getting lots of support from other first nations," the chief said. "Everyone is chipping in. We have a crisis team in place."

The crash site is about five kilometres from the community.

"None of the members have been able to get in there. It's heavy busy," Oskineegish said. "I'm not going there. My priority is to the community here."

Oskineegish is 18 months into his first term as chief.

"I have a job to do. The community needs a strong leader, and I'm trying to be that," he said. "If they see a leader fall down, the community will go deeper into shock."

Oskineegish said several drivers had been sent to pick up passengers about 9 p.m., but the plane never arrived.

It wasn't until midnight that he was informed by Ontario Provincial Police that a Hercules search-and-rescue plane was nearing the community to help locate the missing plane.

The crash site was discovered about 2 a.m. (CDT).

"We saw the Hercules circling, and then people called to say they could see flares being dropped down," said Oskineegish. "That must've been when they spotted the wreckage."

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