Former MP Jim Pankiw charged with drunken disturbance aboard airplane

A controversial political figure in Saskatchewan is accused of causing a scene and delaying a flight recently on board a plane in Ontario.

Police in Hamilton said they were contacted at 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 by security at the Hamilton International Airport about a passenger who got off a plane arriving from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Sunwing flight WG361 was parked at the gate to refuel when police allege Jim Pankiw left the plane and started to walk across the tarmac of the terminal, eventually climbing a razor wire fence. Police located him at a nearby museum.

Police confirmed Pankiw was issued two tickets for public intoxication and a violation under the Trespass to Property Act.

Prior to the flight leaving Punta Cana, a passenger on the flight told 650 CKOM he overheard Pankiw ranting about the layover in Hamilton.

The passenger wished to remain anonymous.

“It was a long four hours,” the Saskatchewan man said.

He said Pankiw’s frustration escalated during the flight as he announced repeatedly he was “getting off the plane.”

“He had himself worked up: ‘I paid for a flight from Punta Cana to Saskatoon and I’m getting this bullsh** runaround,’ ” the man recalled. “I don’t think anybody thought he was going to do anything.”

The passenger recalls Pankiw heading straight for the front door once the plane landed.

“(He moved) as soon as the stairs docked. I heard a stewardess say, ‘Sir, sir, you can’t go out there, you can’t do that,’ ” the man said.

The man claimed the flight attendant backed off when Pankiw refused orders, with the former politician reportedly saying, “You get your hands off me. You can’t touch me. That’s assault. Call 9-1-1.”

The incident caused an additional two-hour delay for passengers, who had to remain on board during the ordeal while the airline and security sorted things out.

“Our customers had been advised that they would be remaining on board during this brief stop and so this unexpected exit necessitated additional actions and verifications in order with our security policies,” Sunwing said in a statement.

“It was also necessary to offload the baggage of the passenger who had left the plane and await the arrival of the local authorities to provide clearance for the flight to take off.”

Pankiw served as a Member of Parliament for the Saskatoon-Humboldt riding from 1997 to 2004. His time was split between the Reform Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance as well as an independent MP.

He also ran for mayor of Saskatoon in 2003, finishing third behind Peter Zakreski and the winner, Don Atchison.

Pankiw’s time in public life was overshadowed by his comments on Indigenous people in pamphlets he distributed to constituents in 2002 and 2003. Some of those comments ended in human rights complaints, but were eventually thrown out.

In 2016, a drunk driving conviction from 2014 was overturned by Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal.

The unexpected delay on the flight was frustrating for those eager to get home after a long travel day.

“(It was) annoying more than anything,” the passenger said.

Pankiw did not return requests for comment.