Latest news with #SaskParty
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Sask. government says individuals attempted to ‘trespass' into restricted area of La Ronge airport
Conair Dash 8-400AT Airtankers are parked on the tarmac in Abbotsford, B.C., Friday, April. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) alleges several individuals were caught 'attempting to trespass' at the La Ronge airport earlier this week. In a media advisory Wednesday, the SPSA said members of its frontline staff reported the group was found at the air operations base on Monday, June 16. 'At any time - but especially during a wildfire crisis - it is unacceptable for anyone to interfere with wildfire and emergency personnel operations,' the advisory read. The agency went on to encourage residents to respect the safety rules posted around its emergency operations centres. Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck and MLA for Cumberland Jordan McPhail visited several communities damaged by the fires over the course of June 16-17 - one of which included La Ronge. The NDP released a statement shortly after the SPSA advisory – explaining that its members were recording a video in the airport's parking lot. 'The Sask. Party government's statement is desperate, ridiculous, and a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that nearly half of their air tankers were secretly grounded during the worst wildfires in a decade,' the NDP statement read. 'Standing in a paid public parking lot to shoot a video is not trespassing.' Beck shared the video on social media. During the minute-long clip, Beck and McPhail can be seen standing in front of a hangar and several aircraft. 'We're going to continue to listen to those voices from the front line about what is needed now and about the lessons they've learned, should have been learned by the government,' Beck said. 'We're going to push for better preparation.' Water bomber capacity On Monday, the NDP highlighted that the province's newest addition to its water bomber fleet, a Conair Dash 8-Q400AT airtanker, was forced to sit idle – due to a lack of qualified pilots. SPSA officials quickly revealed that four of its pilots were training to operate the new aircraft – and had completed simulator training as well as other requirements. However, due to Transport Canada regulations, each pilot would have to train for a certain number of hours in the physical aircraft with an experienced instructor. Due to the provincial state of emergency and overall worsening fire season across Canada, the agency put the training efforts on hold and reallocated the pilots to other aircraft. 'Furthermore, there is a national, critical shortage of qualified and experienced aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs),' the province said in its statement. 'We have filled some vacancies by partnering with schools to fill positions with apprentices to build our capacity in the future. We have also had some success in contracting AME's and continue to work to increase our capacity.' According to the Government of Saskatchewan, the province operates four Convair 580A land-based air tankers, six CL-215T turbine powered water-scooping air tankers and seven smaller 'bird-dog' aircraft – which guide air tankers and direct other air traffic near wildfires. Mandatory inspections caused two of the CL-215Ts to be unavailable for five days this fire season – while another CL-215T is out for the season due to 'extensive structural inspections and repairs.' Two CV580s are currently grounded due to unavailable parts and necessary maintenance. One of the planes is expected to be up and running by the end of the month while the other is grounded until further notice due to a failed propeller. The province noted that extra aircraft were also commissioned from other jurisdictions to help fight the blazes.
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
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.
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Saskatchewan NDP to introduce anti-separation bill that aims to amend rules
NDP Leader Carla Beck and Sask Party Leader Scott Moe speaking to reporters after the leaders debate on Oct. 16, 2024. (David Prisciak/CTV News)
CBC
02-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Sask. Opposition slams province for continuing contract with American company
The Opposition NDP called out the Sask Party government for outsourcing camping reservations to a Texas-based company.
