Automated voice mail in Saskatoon answers calls saying, “Environment Canada. Your window on the weather.” But in Saskatchewan, that window is being closed.
Farmers in that province will be getting their weather information from Winnipeg and maybe Edmonton, rather than their home province, starting in March.
Last March, weather information offices in Regina and Prince Albert closed due to federal budget cuts. With more trimming projected this spring, the elimination of 18 of the 22 Saskatoon positions is expected. Cuts in Edmonton offices will total 10.
Farmers will no longer have access to the 24-hour staffing in Saskatchewan that provided severe weather warnings, nor will they be able to pay to speak to a Saskatoon meteorologist.
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The 1-900 pay-to-talk service will be transferred to Winnipeg or Calgary and cutbacks mean fewer people answering those phones.
“People call now and get busy signals and we hope that we are going to actually improve that situation using new technology in coming years,” said Tom Nichols, acting director of Environment Canada’s prairie and northern region forecasting and climate branch.
Doppler radar installations are planned for Regina in 1998 and Saskatoon in 1999. Nichols said this will help improve the weather coverage locally for Saskatchewan.
John Bullas, of Environment Canada said: “We have had excellent forecasts and great customer service from Saskatoon. It is a sad time for all of us here in the Saskatoon office.”
Before 1993, Saskatchewan weather services were delivered from the Manitoba capital.
“We opened Saskatoon back in December of ’93 to bring forecasting to the province and to give the public better access to meteorologists and improve local forecasting. It was a different fiscal climate though,” said Bullas.
The Saskatoon facility will keep four staff to relay information to the Winnipeg office, handle commercial customer inquiries and client service. Most climatology and forecasting services will be shifted to Winnipeg before the end of December this year, say sources.
Winnipeg, using the same satellite information technology that Saskatoon would draw on, will perform forecasting services for the province, including issuing severe weather warnings and advisories.
Environment Canada closed 56 rural weather offices last year, centralized some regional operations in Winnipeg in 1995 and will further centralize some climate operations in Edmonton this year.
