Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a few statements concerning the biggest project on this budget, which is the purchase of the 802 air tanker fleet replacement. I guess coming into this Assembly, I know they talked about these
replacements for a while, so it’s kind of a process of us new MLAs starting and looking into the process of replacing these units. It’s replacing an older fleet that I think we got for minimal dollars. I guess the high cost associated to the purchase of these newer planes, and I know the department’s been looking at this for years because I know the department did some tests in Hay River, I want to say half a dozen years ago, maybe six or seven years ago where they did some water tests between the 215s and the 802s. I think this was some of the basis of some of the assessments of these 802 new bombers that we’re looking at, these smaller bombers we’re looking at purchasing.
I guess my questions are concerns with the capacity of them. They’re quite a bit smaller. Their volumes are quite a bit smaller. I guess I’m concerned with the deep canopy penetration of the units. I know we have used them in some of our firefighting these last few years because I saw them in Hay River, I think, as a tactic with other units, I guess, other bigger units. So I think those are my initial concerns. I guess the Minister has expressed to us in committee meetings and stuff like that, that they have justification of the purchase of them.
I guess my concerns also in that area is they are, you know the budget item there, they are territorial units, I do believe, and I see them down as Fort Smith here in some of the documents we’ve gotten. I just have a little bit of concern on that. I’m just wondering where we’re going to locate them and what the costs are on that one. When we have newer units, is there going to be additional cost to housing?
I guess some of the justification is that we’ve looked at the operating costs and maybe some of the potential revenue. Because we’re buying new aircraft, we might be able to lease them out. Have we looked at the potential of that revenue in the future? Those are some of my general comments, Madam Chair.