One plane. One hundred meters to the finish line. Thirty-three teams with one goal—to support the United Way.
Hundreds gathered at the Jack Garland Airport on a warm but overcast morning on Friday, June 5, eager to take part in the United Way’s annual plane pulling fundraiser. The event raises money to help people in the region, and the community came out to help the cause.
Tamika Daniels, regional manager with United Way from Nipissing Parry Sound, explained this is the eighth year for the event, and each year, Enbridge has been the presenting sponsor. She’s pleased with how successful the event has become. When it first started, there were about six teams who signed up to pull the planes. This year 33 teams answered the call.
See: Teams pull together for a cause at North Bay airport
“It’s a huge powerhouse fundraiser,” Daniels said. Last year, around $40,000 was raised. She said the event also provides a fun team-building experience for the competing teams. Many regional businesses and services take part to see who can pull the plane across the line in the fastest time.
Daniels also has a theory about why the event has become so popular. “I think a huge part of it is seeing the funds at work. They see directly the response and the impact that their dollars make, and I think that really motivates people to get involved every single year.”
“We support around 13 to 14 funded partners every year,” she said. Those funds support mental health, youth and family services and senior services as well. “Anything that helps remove people from poverty to possibility and helps the community thrive and helps kids be all that they can be we support.”
Anna Iati, a meter verifier with Enbridge, said the company is happy to be the event’s presenting sponsor, and looks forward to it every year. She mentioned Team Enbridge—yes, they too pulled a plane—had raised $8,000 for this year’s event. However, she explained that over the past year, Enbridge has donated just over $1 million to the United Way to do good across out region.
Raising so much and participating in events like the plane pull, “Really warms out hearts because we get to give back where we live, work, and play. That’s the goal for us at Enbridge, for sure.”
Another person with a warmed heart was Dustin Fay, because when BayToday spoke with him, he had just finishing pulling nearly 14 tonnes of plane across the tarmac.
He wasn’t alone, teams consist of ten people, and he had the collective strength of his Yes Employment Services crew to achieve the goal. “This is our first year doing this,” Fay said. “And I feel like I’m about to die,” he joked. “But that’s okay, because we did great, and this is a great event.”
While talking with Fay, BayToday overheard someone from another team exclaim, “It’s heavier than it looks.”
Indeed, those planes are difficult to prepare for, as Fay found out. “My heart rate’s up, and I think I’m done with my workouts for the week, but we accomplished what we came here to do.”
Speaking of why Yes Employment services wanted to come out, Fay explained, “We’re very community based, and we love supporting our agencies in town. United Way is a huge support for so many people that we work with, so we felt it was just doing our part to give back.”
Inspired to step up and pull a plane yourself? Rest assured, the United Way will be doing this again next year, and they’re always welcoming new teams.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
By David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jun 06, 2026 at 16:49
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