The Saskatchewan government’s decision to buy new airplanes to fight forest fires has grounded hopes of crop sprayers who thought they had a shot at providing that service.
Lloyd Good, president of the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators Association, said the organization was caught off guard by the government’s announcement to spend $42 million over four years on new planes to drop retardant on fires. The province plans to spend $200 million in total to replace its aging fleet.
“We were asked by CIC (Crown Investments Corporation) two years ago to put in an expression of interest,” Good said.
The government never replied, Good said, adding the province could save at least the $200 million capital cost by hiring the aerial applicators.
Aerial applicators use single engine planes and some already have experience fighting fires.
Environment minister David Forbes said there are other requirements.
“We have greater distance to fly,” he has previously said in the legislature. “The new configuration of what we’re talking about has a greater load capacity, greater speed capacity.”
