Sask. government defends grounded water bomber as criticism mounts over wildfire response

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 8:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A brand-new h2o bomber sat unused and idle astatine the La Ronge airdrome arsenic wildfires raged nearby, destroying homes and businesses, according to Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP.

NDP nationalist information professional Nicole Sarauer said the state took transportation of the multi-million dollar Conair Dash 8-Q400AT airtanker on May 30, according to formation records.

"Since landing, the craft hasn't logged a azygous flight. It's been sitting determination unused," Sarauer said.

"The infinitesimal this level arrived the authorities should person brought it into enactment dumping h2o connected the fires burning successful Saskatchewan's communities."

The accomplishment of the caller h2o bomber happened during 1 of 1 of the province's worst wildfire seasons successful memory, and conscionable days earlier homes and businesses successful the La Ronge area.

Sarauer said the level sat idle and unused, with Premier Scott Moe seemingly unaware it had adjacent arrived.

She pointed to June 6, a week aft the level arrived, erstwhile Moe said during a regular Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) briefing that the level was connected its mode and would beryllium enactment to usage arsenic soon arsenic it arrived and was ready.

"It appears that Premier Scott Moe and the Sask Party authorities either weren't consecutive astir the bomber oregon were wholly dormant astatine the instrumentality during a crisis," Sarauer said.

The transportation of the h2o bomber to the La Ronge airdrome was portion of a planned upgrade to the province's fleet.

Sarauer said the Conair level itself was astir destroyed when wildfires closed successful connected the La Ronge airport.

"The caller aerial tanker was reportedly successful information and had to beryllium physically pushed to get it retired of the way of the flames."

Province says training, information rules delayed takeoff

In an SPSA media availability Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said the state couldn't usage the craft close distant due to the fact that the pilots hadn't yet been certified to alert it.

"This is not a concern wherever we had resources that were disposable that were near connected the tarmac," McLeod said.

He said the pilots already had simulator training, but are inactive required to bid connected the existent craft to comply with the Transport Canada regulations.

"The operational determination was made not to region those 4 pilots from progressive work warring fires, protecting our communities, truthful that they could bid connected the caller plane, but alternatively to proceed protecting our communities and redeeming lives," helium said.

McLeod said the caller h2o bomber volition beryllium utilized this occurrence season, erstwhile required in-air grooming is completed.

WATCH | Unused firefighting craft draws disapproval from Sask. Opposition: 

Charlene Lavallee, president of the Association of Métis, Non-Status and Status Indians of Saskatchewan, said the government's effect fell flat.

"It was the implicit worst tally evacuation I've seen successful the past of Saskatchewan," she said.

Lavallee, who antecedently worked with Saskatchewan's Northern Air Operations and is from La Ronge, said determination were aggregate planes grounded owed to cracked wings and wintertime maintenance.

"We've had 2 h2o bombers and 2 occurrence retardant planes and the Turbo Commander — which is your vertebrate canine level — that were each retired of committee during the fires successful bluish Saskatchewan," Lavallee said.

Lavellee said these issues could've been avoided. She said attraction is scheduled months successful advance, and if it had been completed erstwhile it was expected to, the planes could've helped with battling wildfires, and adjacent mitigated evacuations and damages.

"Somebody has to beryllium held responsible, due to the fact that that to maine is perfectly dereliction of duty," she said.

Up-to-date info connected progressive fires, fume and related topics is disposable astatine these sources:

• Interactive Sask. progressive occurrence map.
• Fire information map.
• Fire bans.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada upwind alerts.
• Sask. Highway Hotline.
• Smoke forecast.
• Air quality.
• Tracking wildfires crossed Canada.