▁John ▁H eg land ▁and ▁started ▁operations ▁in ▁July ▁ 1 9 6 3 ▁from ▁its ▁base ▁at ▁Big ▁Tr out ▁Lake , ▁Ontario ▁( but ▁was ▁named ▁after ▁Bear sk in ▁Lake ▁where ▁H eg land ▁had ▁a ▁general ▁store ). ▁It ▁started ▁out ▁by ▁providing ▁only ▁char ter ▁services ▁to ▁the ▁remote ▁First ▁Nations ▁res erves ▁in ▁northern ▁Ontario , ▁using ▁bush ▁plan es ▁equ ipped ▁with ▁flo ats ▁in ▁the ▁summer ▁and ▁sk is ▁in ▁the ▁winter . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 7 , ▁it ▁began ▁its ▁first ▁regular ▁scheduled ▁fl ights ▁between ▁Big ▁Tr out ▁Lake ▁and ▁Si oux ▁Look out . ▁ ▁From ▁then ▁on , ▁other ▁scheduled ▁fl ights ▁were ▁progress ively ▁added , ▁first ▁to ▁Th under ▁Bay , ▁followed ▁by ▁Ken ora ▁and ▁W inn ip eg . ▁This ▁was ▁also ▁the ▁period ▁when ▁the ▁Government ▁of ▁Ontario ▁began ▁construct ing ▁new ▁air fields ▁that ▁would ▁make ▁the ▁northern ▁communities ▁accessible ▁year - round . ▁Therefore , ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁to ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁Bear sk in ▁made ▁the ▁transition ▁of ▁bush ▁plan es ▁to ▁whe e led ▁comm uter ▁plan es . ▁ ▁Following ▁the ▁collapse ▁of ▁Nor O nt air ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 6 , ▁Bear sk in ▁picked ▁up ▁over ▁two ▁third s ▁of ▁that ▁car rier ' s ▁routes , ▁thereby ▁adding ▁scheduled ▁service ▁to ▁all ▁the ▁major ▁northern ▁Ontario ▁cities . ▁Three ▁years ▁later ,