In a press conference Wednesday, the Saskatchewan NDP are wanting answers from Premer Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party government about why they say, the Sask. Party hid that many of the province’s aircrafts meant to fight wildfires were grounded.
Saskatchewan NDP Opposition Leader Carla Beck said they heard concerns several weeks ago of the air tankers not being used but thought it was unbelievable and not possible that there were planes in the provincial fleet that were not being serviced or ready for service. Beck said their staff have been working diligently to confirm flight data from these planes right up to this morning. She said they’ve learned from people in the community-people that know very well what has and hasn’t gone up in the air, and it had been some time since hearing this, but they wanted to confirm before making it public.
The Saskatchewan NDP say Premier Scott Moe and his government tried to cover up the grounded water bombers and want to know why. Beck and Cumberland MLA Jordan McPhail said at least four of the province’s ten existing air tankers have been grounded during the worst wildfire season in a decade, and that doesn’t include the brand-new water bomber that was not used, which the Sask. Party stated last week, there wasn’t enough time to train pilots.
According to the statement from the Saskatchewan NDP, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) currently operate a fleet of ten air tankers:
-Four Convair 580A land-based air tankers
-Six CL-215T turbine-powered water-scooping air tankers
These aircraft make up a “modern, efficient and fast tanker fleet” according to the provincial government and say the Convair 580As are expected to remain in service until 2027, which is the end of their “useful lifespan”.
Flight data on the Convair 580A and two CL-215Ts is publicly available and show they have been out of service.
-Tanker 474 (Convair 580A, C-GYSK) has been grounded since August 21, 2024
-Tanker 473 (Convair 580A, C-GVSK) has been grounded since September 17, 2024
-Tanker 216 (CL-215T, C-FAFN) has been grounded since August 31, 2024
-Tanker 218 (CL-215T, C-FAFP) has been grounded since August 13, 2024
A news release from the provincial government Wednesday said two water bombers were grounded due to required structural inspections and there were no available parts for the two air tankers.
The President of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, Marlo Pritchard says only one of the four aircraft will be in the air by the end of June.
Beck and McPhail visited communities this week that were damaged by the wildfires, including Denare Beach, Creighton and La Ronge and spoke with local leaders about what lies ahead in the process of recovery and rebuilding, as well as how the province responded to the crisis.
