A Saskatchewan bomber scoops up water to fight the fire near Weyakwin. (Facebook/Jay Are En)

By Derek Cornet

wildfires

SPSA says air tankers grounded due to federal regulation compliance

Jun 18, 2025 | 4:14 PM

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is firing back at the Sask. NDP’s claims that it is unacceptable for four of the province’s 10 existing air tankers to be grounded.

During a daily wildfire update on Wednesday, SPSA President and Fire Commissioner Marlo Pritchard stated it is not a secret that occasionally aircraft will be grounded due to mechanical issues or inspections required by the federal government.

“The air fleet is a major investment by the government, and it is our job to utilize the fleet and call in the aircraft from other jurisdictions when needed to help address wildfire situations,” Pritchard explained.

“From time to time, any of our aircraft will have mechanical issues that may ground them for a short period of time from hours to days and, unfortunately, sometimes longer. This is a normal part of operating any air fleet, and we do have four planes in the maintenance cycle. We were well aware of these challenges, that is why we brought on extra aircraft from other jurisdictions early in the season.”

He noted the SPSA has brought in nine additional aircraft from other provinces or states with five from British Columbia, two from Quebec and two from Alaska.

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“Please also know that our staff are putting in an extraordinary effort to ensure our aircraft are available as quickly as possible,” Pritchard remarked.

“With the unprecedented wildfire season, it is normal for aircraft to undergo additional maintenance required for safety and to follow federal regulations.”

In addition, Pritchard noted the SPSA continues to look for potential external contractors that will come in and do that work at a quicker pace, but they have not been successful to date.

The NDP have claimed publicly available flight data shows that two Convair 580As and two CL-215Ts have been out of service. Three of the tankers have been out of service since August 2024, while a fourth has been out of service since September 2024.

A Conair Dash 8-Q400AT airtanker delivered to the Government of Saskatchewan on May 30 also sat unused in La Ronge while residents of the tri-community evacuated on June 2. The province has stated it went unused because training required set by the federal government had not been met.

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

“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.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com