NEARLY HALF OF SASKATCHEWAN’S AIR TANKER FLEET SECRETLY GROUNDED DURING WILDFIRE CRISIS

SASKATOON – The Sask. Party government is facing serious questions after it was revealed that at least four of the province’s 10 existing air tankers have been grounded during the worst wildfire season in a decade. This is in addition to the brand-new tanker that was grounded.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) currently operates a fleet of ten air tankers:

Four Convair 580A land-based air tankers
Six CL-215T turbine-powered water-scooping air tankers

According to the government, these aircraft make up a “modern, efficient and fast tanker fleet”. The government says the Convair 580As are expected to remain in service until the end of their “useful lifespan” in 2027.

Publicly available flight data shows that two Convair 580As and two CL-215Ts have been out of service during the worst stretch of wildfires in a decade:

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

The Sask. Party has not publicly disclosed or explained why nearly half of Saskatchewan’s water bomber fleet have been grounded.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that nearly half our water bombers were sitting idle during the worst wildfire season in a decade,” said Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck.

“After 18 years, this tired and out-of-touch Sask. Party government can’t be trusted to do the job they were elected to do.

“We need a government that’s focused on the future and that includes protecting our communities as best we can.”

On Monday and Tuesday, Beck and Cumberland MLA Jordan McPhail visited communities damaged in the fires, including Denare Beach, Creighton and La Ronge. The MLAs spoke to local leaders about the challenges ahead with recovery and rebuilding and issues with how the province responded to the crisis.

“Our air operation should have had all of our resources at the ready in safe and operable condition,” McPhail said. “The future of communities depends on these planes.”

Premier Scott Moe has not faced reporters and explained why his government tried to cover up the grounded water bombers.

Tail number, make and model, and the ownership of each aircraft can be verified with the federal government's civil aircraft register.

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