Sask. government defends grounded water bomber as criticism mounts over wildfire response
A brand-new water bomber sat unused and idle at the La Ronge airport as wildfires raged nearby, destroying homes and businesses, according to Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP.
NDP public safety critic Nicole Sarauer said the province took delivery of the multi-million dollar Conair Dash 8-Q400AT airtanker on May 30, according to flight records.
"Since landing, the aircraft hasn't logged a single flight. It's been sitting there unused," Sarauer said.
"The moment this plane arrived the government should have brought it into action dumping water on the fires burning in Saskatchewan's communities."
The arrival of the new water bomber happened during one of one of the province's worst wildfire seasons in memory, and just days before homes and businesses in the La Ronge area.
Sarauer said the plane sat idle and unused, with Premier Scott Moe seemingly unaware it had even arrived.
She pointed to June 6, a week after the plane arrived, when Moe said during a daily Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) briefing that the plane was on its way and would be put to use as soon as it arrived and was ready.
"It appears that Premier Scott Moe and the Sask Party government either weren't straight about the bomber or were completely asleep at the wheel during a crisis," Sarauer said.
The delivery of the water bomber to the La Ronge airport was part of a planned upgrade to the province's fleet.
Sarauer said the Conair plane itself was almost destroyed when wildfires closed in on the La Ronge airport.
"The new air tanker was reportedly in danger and had to be physically pushed to get it out of the path of the flames."
Province says training, safety rules delayed takeoff
In an SPSA media availability Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said the province couldn't use the aircraft right away because the pilots hadn't yet been certified to fly it.
"This is not a situation where we had resources that were available that were left on the tarmac," McLeod said.
He said the pilots already had simulator training, but are still required to train on the actual aircraft to comply with the Transport Canada regulations.
"The operational decision was made not to remove those four pilots from active duty fighting fires, protecting our communities, so that they could train on the new plane, but rather to continue protecting our communities and saving lives," he said.
McLeod said the new water bomber will be used this fire season, once required in-air training is completed.
WATCH | Unused firefighting aircraft draws criticism from Sask. Opposition:
Unused firefighting aircraft draws criticism from Sask. Opposition
1 hour ago
Duration 2:29
Saskatchewan's official Opposition says key aircraft for fighting wildfires were left unused during recent efforts.
Charlene Lavallee, president of the Association of Métis, Non-Status and Status Indians of Saskatchewan, said the government's response fell flat.
"It was the absolute worst run evacuation I've seen in the history of Saskatchewan," she said.
Lavallee, who previously worked with Saskatchewan's Northern Air Operations and is from La Ronge, said there were multiple planes grounded due to cracked wings and winter maintenance.
"We've had two water bombers and two fire retardant planes and the Turbo Commander — which is your bird dog plane — that were all out of commission during the fires in northern Saskatchewan," Lavallee said.
Lavellee said these issues could've been avoided. She said maintenance is scheduled months in advance, and if it had been completed when it was supposed to, the planes could've helped with battling wildfires, and even mitigated evacuations and damages.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Sask. government says as many as 30 incidents under investigation for arson related to wildfires
Sask. Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod says the opposition is playing politics and spreading misinformation when it comes to use of new planes in the firefight Sask. Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod says the opposition is playing politics and spreading misinformation when it comes to use of new planes in the firefight Sask. Public Safety Minister on why a new plane was grounded during fire fight The Government of Saskatchewan says that as many as 30 incidents are being investigated regarding intentional arson related to wildfires in the province this year. Tim McLeod said that investigations remain ongoing and he expects police to announce more charges. So far, two arson charges have been laid by RCMP regarding the Ditch02 fire near Weyakwin which forced multiple evacuations. 'I know that there are many others that are being investigated, last I heard in the neighbourhood of 30 individuals are suspected of and being investigated for intentional arson and that is just an absolute shame when you think about the devastation that these fires cause,' McLeod said during an interview with CTV Morning Live Saskatchewan on Wednesday. While McLeod stated that '30 individuals' are suspected of arson in connection to wildfires in the province, SPSA President Marlo Pritchard clarified that '30 incidents' are under investigation. 'First of all, it's not 30 people. There's 30 incidents that are being investigated as intentional starts or arson investigations,' he explained, during Wednesday's wildfire update. 'There have been charges laid in at least two of those incidents by the RCMP, and I'm not aware of any other charges as of this time.' According to McLeod, it's the province's full belief that police investigations will lead to full prosecutions for people found to be responsible for intentionally starting wildfires. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has confirmed that 350 values have been lost in wildfires to date, with the number expected to exceed 500 following more investigations that includes assessing the community of Denare Beach later this week. Last week the SPSA said that many of the wildfires in Saskatchewan this year were set accidentally by humans, but that they believed at least 30 were intentionally set. So far in 2025 the province has seen 261 wildfires, well above the five-year average of 157. Currently there are 17 active wildfires, three are considered not contained. However, recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have allowed crews to take a more offensive approach to fighting wildfires and fire growth has been minimal for the better part of two weeks. All but five evacuations have ended in the province. According to the SPSA, Creighton, Denare Beach, East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay and priority individuals in Cumberland House remain evacuated. A provincial fire ban was also lifted this week as well as a ban on ATV and UTV vehicles. The province will provide an update regarding the current wildfire situation at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Tsuut'ina chief elaborates on comments to Trump
Calgary Watch Tsuut'ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild explains upon his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump in Calgary.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
At Issue - June 21, 2025
At Issue is Canada's most-watched political panel, hosted by CBC Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton and featuring leading political journalists; Chantal Hebert, Andrew Coyne, Althia Raj and Elamin Abdelmahmoud.
