3 Ontario water bombers grounded due to pilot shortage, union calls for better wages

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 4:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is calling connected the state to summation wages for h2o bomber pilots, arsenic a shortage of pilots has led to the grounding of immoderate aircraft.

OPSEU said successful a quality merchandise that pilots it represents person "resoundingly rejected an connection that would person made Ontario 2nd to past successful presumption of wages for these unsafe and captious jobs."

Speaking to CBC News connected Wednesday, OPSEU president JP Hornick said Ontario h2o bomber pilots are leaving for different provinces due to the fact that they tin gain amended wages.

"We person a authorities that is touting the information that they're purchasing six caller h2o bomber planes, but they can't adjacent really code the staffing needs that they person connected the existing planes," Hornick said.

"This isn't idiosyncratic taking off of a regular tarmac, right? They're flying planes into the worst imaginable conditions, progressive wildfires, dipping down into lakes, filling it with water.

"The level of accomplishment that is required to undertake these missions to prevention bluish Ontario, it is not thing I deliberation astir radical understand. And they're treated arsenic if they're conscionable immoderate fly-by-night pilot," Hornick added.

Province presently abbreviated 5 pilots: Hornick

A occupation posting connected the Ontario authorities website for a CL-415 captain, classified arsenic a Pilot 5, states the wage ranges from astir $1,520 to $1,850 per week.

Another listing connected the site, for a CL-415 co-pilot, classified arsenic a Pilot 3, states the wage ranges from astir $1,290 to $1,567 per week.

Hornick said the state is presently abbreviated 5 pilots, and 3 h2o bombers person been grounded arsenic a result.

Emily McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources, said the connection included an "immediate increase" to h2o bomber aviator wages arsenic a archetypal measurement toward a semipermanent solution.

"In summation to an contiguous increase, the authorities besides expressly offered to let OPSEU the quality to question a binding determination from an arbitrator for further increases arsenic portion of pre-established wage enhancement process," McLaughlin wrote successful an email to CBC News. "Unfortunately, OPSEU rejected this projected approach."

Ontario wildland firefighters, meanwhile, person been calling for the state to reclassify them as firefighters.

"In presumption of Ontario, they are not considered to beryllium firefighters," Thunder Bay-Superior North NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois said. "They are ... assets technicians."

"If you're a structural firefighter, you're a firefighter. If you're a unpaid firefighter successful town, you're a firefighter. But if you are a wood firefighter, you are not a firefighter successful presumption of your classification."

The reclassification would let for amended benefits and wages, Vaugeois said.

McLaughlin said the enactment to reclassify wildland firefighters has been completed.

"The authorities has been waiting for OPSEU to motion the statement since aboriginal April " she stated. "We are prepared to instrumentality the reclassification changes immediately."

Hornick said the contented besides spreads to the instrumentality wildland firefighters are issued.

"We brought successful folks that were wearing equipment, pants and shirts, that person been passed connected for, I think, immoderate of the oldest were successful the 12-year range, from 1 idiosyncratic to another, that they were holding unneurotic virtually with duct portion successful the field," Hornick said. "We're talking astir instrumentality that was truthful toxic that they would not hug their ain children portion wearing it."

"They were eroding their washing instrumentality lines trying to launder it," they said. "Then we person a authorities that, successful this latest budget, chopped $42 cardinal from the wildland firefighter budget, and erstwhile questioned connected it said, 'well we'll marque it up with volunteers.'"

Hornick said with the pilots having rejected the provincial offer, "the shot is successful the government's court."

"You've got a state that is virtually burning up northbound and you person a clump of folks who person the skills to beryllium capable to hole it, and a retention and recruitment occupation that we've been flagging for years."