Page 42 - Beausoleil First Nation

If the boats cannot run during freeze-up and break-up of the ice,
we use our airboats. We have three airboats. An airboat looks
like a boat but has a propeller instead of an outboard motor.
It skims over the ice and is quite safe even if it breaks through.
The airboats are extremely loud! They have not been used very
often over the past few years, as we have been able to operate
our ferries full-time, but they are an important part of our
transportation system. In addition to the airboats, we have an
18-passenger hovercraft.

If the ice is thick enough, there is an ice road that people can
drive their vehicles on; however, it has been many years since
we have had ice strong enough to hold even a small car. The
ice is usually safe enough for snowmobiles. At times, you can
see snowmobiles crossing the ice at the same time as the boat.
There have been times during the winters when it has been
necessary to transport one of our people by helicopter due to a
medical emergency when there was no other safe way to cross
the bay to a hospital.

Since there is no high school on the island, students must take
the ferry to the mainland to catch their school bus. Read on to
see what travelling is like on a typical day for one secondary
school student.

Our hovercraft

One of our airboats

40 Beausoleil First Nation

ogemawahj_community_book2.indd 40 2019-02-27 10:33 AM