Morris Mike Kostiuk (1939 – 2022)
	
Morris Kostiuk was raised on his father’s farm near North Battleford, Saskatchewan. He gained his Master Electrician’s ticket and settled in Lloydminster in the 1960s where he started Superior Electric. Over thirty years he also established Kostiuk Holdings Ltd. and Meridian Trenching. He was very involved in the growth of Lloydminster and oversaw the operations of trailer parks, car washes, laundromats, and real estate developments. In 1973, Kostiuk obtained a private pilot’s license to save commuting time between business meetings in Lloydminster, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. In 1983, he crashed his plane near Summit Lake, B.C. when commuting from Whitehorse to Lloydminster. Suffering from Hypothermia and broken legs, he saved himself by crawling down the mountain from the crash site.((“Morris Mike Kostiuk.” //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 21 January 2022.))
	
In the late 1970s, Kostiuk Holdings was instrumental in dismantling the Clinton Creek mine and townsite (1978-1983).  In 1979, Kostiuk purchased the Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse and turned it into one of the largest RV parks on the Alaska Highway.((“Morris Mike Kostiuk.” //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 21 January 2022.)) 

Kostiuk purchased Yukon Alaska Tourist Tours (YATT) in 1999. In 2007, YATT operated a daily bus and train combination tour between Whitehorse and Skagway in conjunction with White Pass & Yukon Route. YATT also provided highway charter coach service for the Yukon and NWT. Kostiuk bought Norline Coaches from Ron Swizdaryk in 2007. The additional coaches and equipment brought YATT's Whitehorse fleet to nine highway units.((Trevor Wales, “Norline sells highway division, owner ready to retire." //Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 17 August 2007.)) 

The tourist season started late in 2007, and in May and early June the number were down twenty-five to thirty percent from the year before. Kostiuk’s Pioneer RV Park was as busy as it was because two other RV parks shut down that year. However, bus-tour traffic increased over independent long-haul travel vehicles. High gas prices, a strong Canadian dollar, new passport regulations, and changing demographics contributed to the trend.((Leighann Chalykoff, “The Yukon’s RV market is running on fumes.” //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 7 July 2007.))
	
Kostiuk is remembered as a strong advocate for independent business and for his honest, straightforward, pragmatic, and adventurous spirit. He lived his favourite expression “there is no overnight success.”((“Morris Mike Kostiuk.” //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 21 January 2022.))