Sinclair et al. v. Faess
It never reached the stage of a lawsuit, but the government of the NWT has reimbursed $26,751 to a group of southern guests who did not get the wilderness canoe trip they had bargained for.

David Sinclair and Davis Earle of Ontario and Terry Johnson of Colorado contracted with Great Canadian Wilderness Holdings, owned by Tom Faess, for a 14-day guided canoe trip down the Thelon River in July. After spending four days waiting in Lutselk’e, NWT, they chartered another plane for their Thelon trip.

After Faess, better known as Tundra Tom, didn’t return the money, the government of the Northwest Territories refunded Sinclair and the other Thelon travellers via the Tourist Deposit Assurance Program. “The GNWT takes pride in the vitality and welcoming spirit of its tourism industry,” wrote Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Robert McLeod in a letter to Sinclair. “Any unpleasant experiences are deeply regretted. We hope that this experience will not discourage you from further exploration of the NWT.”