Northern Postal Service and Bush Flights
The development of aviation made people aware of the possibilities that this
new means of transportation offered. It allowed faster and more efficient access
to remote areas that could only be reached by canoe in the summer and dogsled in
the winter.
Following an interruption of the service in winter, a letter sent to the Postmaster
General emphasizes the importance of mail to those living in distant territories.
Father Saindon of Moosonee, James Bay, writes: "My missionaries are quite isolated.
The mail brought great comfort to them especially with Christmas and New Year drawing
near. I am tortured by the thought that this year they will have to be deprived of
such an important part of their lives. Most of them will not receive a letter before
the first week of July."
The impact the introduction of aerial mail had on the remote regions during winter time
is incalculable. Everything was transported by plane. A Canadian Airways pilot flying in
northern Saskatchewan listed in his flight log the freight he was carrying: "a load of
mail and several cases of rotgut"; "mail, special delivery merchandise and tonic"; "mail
and several cases of cheap bootleg booze"; "mail and alcohol"; "mail and caribou
[French-Canadian wine mixed with alcohol]." His notes show the importance of the aerial
postal service to those without any other means of communication.