First Nations Technical Institute rebuild gets off the ground 2 years after devastating fire

Nearly two years ago, a devastating fire destroyed a Second World War-era airport hangar that housed the First Nations Technical Institute's entire fleet of aircraft and all of its equipment.

Now, rebuilding Canada's only training program for Indigenous pilots is well underway thanks to dedicated staff and outreach from the aerospace industry.

FNTI, located on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near Belleville, Ont., had operated out of that hangar since 1989. But in February of 2022, a fire — its cause is still unknown — took only 17 minutes to destroy everything.

"It's hard to convey how I felt then, but I can tell you how I feel now, which is very optimistic," said Jo-Anne Tabobandung, the institute's dean of aviation who's been with the institute since she arrived as a student in 1990.

The new hanger, though smaller, will offer state-of-the-art technology, including an upgraded flight simulator, classrooms and a sprinkler system in case of another fire, Tabobandung says.

While normal student enrolment at FNTI is 40, the school currently has only 28 students because of its limited capacity.

The new institution is slated for completion in September 2024. (Candace Maracle / CBC)

Tabobandung says staff and students were just rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic when the fire broke out. Since then, the school has done its best to mitigate the training time their students missed.

"We are part of an amazing industry," Tabobandung said of the help the institute has received from the aerospace industry, which reached out immediately, contributing funding to keep the students' flight training close to their communities.

FNTI held a legacy graduation in 2023 for students who missed out during the COVID-19 pandemic. (FNTI)

Tabobandung says the aerospace industry contributed a temporary shelter to house airplanes leased to the institute from another college, while Canadian Aviation Electronics, the world's largest simulator company, is contributing funds toward upgrading the institute's flight simulator.

Cathie Findlay, government relations and communications director at FNTI, says the institution is a pillar in Ontario and falls under provincial legislation. The institute is currently writing proposals to obtain provincial funding.

The pilots who graduate from FNTI are unique, Findlay says, because they are highly trained in overcoming challenging environments, including landings and take-offs on icy runways and in remote locations where radar coverage is limited.

"They are from these regions, they know them well," she said, adding it's just one of the reasons why they return home after graduating, helping to sustain things including food security, medical supply deliveries and passenger transport form the northern regions.

Currently, 40 per cent of students enrolled in the aviation program are women, a noteworthy sign when the global percentage of women pilots sits at five per cent.

An insurance settlement of $11.7 million covered some of the cost of the rebuild, including a shelter for planes and the framework for the new hangar, but the institute needs another $6 million finish the job by its target date of September 2024.

"We're over-prescribed and underfunded, so we've always had that struggle," Tabobandung said.

Flight instructor, Daniella Petitti from Waterhen Lake, Sask., says she's excited about revitalizing the institute.

"We've lost all those aircraft, but we've got new aircraft now. You know, all those things are replaceable," she said. "Nobody was hurt."