“CHC Helicopters Canada is establishing a presence in St. John’s.”
There is something about that comment from a spokesman for a company that, not so very long ago, had its international headquarters in St. John’s that makes you want to either laugh or cry. It’s hard to know which one would be the right response.
It’s pathetic that a spokesman for a company with such a rich history makes a statement that sounds like the company never operated here before. The official history of the company makes no mention of Craig Dobbin at all and his company – Sealand – is an incidental part of a story that claims the company grew out of British Columbia’s Okanagan Helicopters.
That tells you that CHC considers this province to be just another dot on a map where their helicopters fly and the company makes money. It’s no big deal. In other words: St. John’s doesn’t really matter.
Well, since CHC obviously doesn’t really give a crap about St. John’s, the local business community, local politicians, and local citizens should treat them the same way. As fast as they “establish a presence” in a city where the company once had a frigging global headquarters, CHC will be gone again. So while they are here, charge them full fare, cut ‘em no slack, and make whatever you can off them all in the name of free enterprise.
And no one will shed a tear when they leave again.
It’s not personal.
It’s just business.
-srbp-
