Thunder Bay's Frank Kelner, chairman of Pilatus Centre Canada and head of Cargo North, has issued an apology for remarks made in a cover story of the December 2012 issue of Northern Ontario Business.
“I would like offer my sincere apologies to your readers, to Canadians, to my staff and crew and to my partners and affiliated companies. My comments regarding Canadians were moreover meant to highlight that the early bird does get the worm, and I as a businessman and entrepreneur, I can attest to being the early bird and getting the job done and it was my way of explaining that there are opportunities out there for driven business people in Canada.
“I would like to point out that I am a Canadian, I am extremely proud of my Canadian roots and it’s by no simple coincidence that the maple leaf has been an important part of our multiple corporate logos, and the Canadian flag is prominently displayed on our uniforms and promotional gear, as well as being flown front and centre in the garden at our office entrance.
“I also wish to apologize to Buffalo Airways. I have great respect for (company president) Joe (McBryan), we have had similar experiences. We are both seasoned pilots with substantial experience serving the North, and my comments regarding Transport Canada were in the line of how the flights were sensationalized by the powers of reality TV.”