Teara Fraser

Teara Fraser (born 1971) is a Canadian aviator and the founder and CEO of Iskwew Air.

Biography

Teara Fraser was born in Hay River, Northwest Territories.[1] She is a Métis woman of Cree ancestry.[2][3]

Career

Fraser became a certified commercial pilot in 2002[4] after experiencing her first small aircraft flight in October 2001.[4]

Fraser founded an aerial survey company in 2010, and sold the company six years later.[4] She returned to entrepreneurship in 2019[4] with the founding of Iskwew Air, a small airline that offers charter service to remote Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada. She chose the name Iskwew - which means "woman" in her ancestral Cree language - in celebration of her Indigenous heritage and of the work of women to fight for gender equality.[4][5]

In addition to her experience as an aviator and entrepreneur, Fraser founded the Aviation Leadership Foundation, sits on the board of directors of the British Columbia Aviation Council, is a faculty member at Royal Roads University, and was a founder of the Raven Institute and the Lift Collective.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fraser and Iskwew Air began supplying essential goods to remote Indigenous communities, such as Alert Bay, that were impacted by the pandemic.[6]

Fraser's story will be included in the DC Comics graphic novel Wonderful Women of History. The story, written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Natasha Donovan,[7] is set to be published in September 2021.[8]

References

  1. ^ Sterritt, Angela (23 September 2018). "'It's time,' says 1st Indigenous woman in Canada to start an airline on her own". CBC News.
  2. ^ Gilpin, Emilee (26 September 2018). "The woman who bought a plane and started an airline dedicated to Indigenous women". National Observer.
  3. ^ "Meet Teara Fraser, Iskwew Air". Small Business BC. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  4. ^ a b c d e Wolfsteller, Pilar (19 November 2020). "Pilot, leader, proud Metis woman, Teara Fraser". Flight Global. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  5. ^ Moore, Marie. "Teara Fraser – Women of Influence". Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  6. ^ Wilson, Lee (2020-06-02). "Iskwew Air making the supply rounds to remote B.C. communities". APTN News. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  7. ^ "Metis pilot Teara Fraser profiled in new DC Comics graphic novel of women heroes". Victoria News. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  8. ^ Arrant, Chris (11 November 2020). "DC postpones (and renames) Wonder Women of History anthology to 2021". Newsarama. Retrieved 2021-02-24.

She was born in Hay River