Expedition Helicopters was launched in 1999 to provide helicopter services to First Nation communities along the James Bay Coast and to provide support to grassroots exploration companies in the James Bay lowlands. Since then, the Cochrane-based company has expanded to become a full-service, one-stop shop for helicopter, camp and freight services across industries.
Now known as the Expedition Group of Companies, the business comprises three divisions: Expedition Helicopters, Expedition Camp Service and Logistics, and Expedition Freight Solutions.
“We may have started as a helicopter company, but we vertically integrated the company to be able to provide our customers with a one-stop shop,” said President Todd Calaiezzi. “There’s nobody else that does this, not to the extent that we do.”
Services are customized to meet the specific needs of clients — they can choose to use the abilities and infrastructure of all three divisions in combination, or choose individual services to build the experience that best satisfies their requirements. Expedition owns the majority of its own aircraft and equipment. With a well-known reputation, we have established the ability to literally increase the size of our helicopter, camp and/or truck fleet overnight to meet our customers’ needs. This provides our clients the comfort of knowing that there is a single point of accountability for the duration of their project. The Expedition Group employs a staff of +/-180 people across the company.
With a fleet of 14 aircraft, Expedition is one of the largest operators in the province. Its highly skilled pilots, who hail from all over the world, are experienced in navigating and traversing Northern conditions and climates.
Whether you are a client working in mining, forestry, or powerline infrastructure installation, Expedition offers an all-inclusive expedition experience, resulting in greater convenience for clients, who can focus on getting the job done.
For staff accommodations, clients can choose from either tent camps or modular workforce housing, and Expedition is equally adept at setting up camps for a small grassroots team of 10 as it is for a workforce of 500.
“We’re also really versatile in the sense that we have the ability to relocate our camps quickly,” Calaiezzi said.
With a reliable fleet of trucks that can transport the camps adeptly and efficiently, Expedition has become the go-to service provider for many government agencies that need rapid deployment of workforce housing in the event of a forest fire and/or any other type of emergency.
Ahead of the client’s arrival, Expedition will arrive first on site, deploying its staff to set up the accommodations, prepare meals, and install communications infrastructure.
“We can either set up the camp and leave, and rent it out, or we can provide a turnkey camp that’s catered, managed and janitor service,” Calaiezzi said. “We tailor our services to our customers’ needs.”
The company strongly believes in investing in the communities in which it works, and that means hiring local support staff where needed, acquiring building materials from nearby suppliers, and purchasing food from local vendors.
“We’re really big on community support and hiring people in the region that we work in,” Calaiezzi said. “So, wherever the project is, we try to support that area as much as possible.”
Its work has taken the company across Canada, although the majority of jobs are done in Ontario, Manitoba and Québec. Expedition enjoys active partnerships with a number of Indigenous partners and strives to establish good working relationships with the Indigenous communities in the regions in which it works.
All this is done with stringent attention to compliance and safety. Expedition is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace conditions within the company, in addition to protecting the environment and physical assets while at work.
“Anything we do meets or exceeds any regulation,” Calaiezzi said. “It’s always done to the highest standard. We believe our services are second to none.”
