Sask. government defends grounded water bomber as criticism mounts over wildfire response
Province says aircraft was not used because of a lack of a training due to wildfire crisis
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 the province's worst wildfire seasons in memory, and just days before fire encroached on 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.
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.
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.
"Somebody has to be held responsible, because that to me is absolutely dereliction of duty," she said.
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With files from Colleen Silverthorn