Damaged water bomber won't be back in service this year

An oft-delayed decision on the fate of a grounded water bomber will be pushed back further.

In February, the Newfoundland and Labrador government issued a request for qualifications to short-list companies capable of fixing the aircraft, which hasn't been in the air since 2018.

That document stressed that the decision had been made to repair the water bomber and return it to service, with work scheduled to begin this summer.

But that's not the case any more.

"With respect to the damaged water bomber, there are ongoing discussions with multiple different companies," Premier Andrew Furey told reporters Friday, at an unrelated highway-related announcement.

And according to Transportation Minister Elvis Loveless, there is no definitive time frame for a decision, at this point.

"By the end of the year we should be there in terms of who's going to do this work," he said.

Loveless says they are ready for fire season with the four bombers in operation now.

"We're in a good position, we feel, as a province — as we were last year — that we can respond to fires and provide the services in this province," the minister said.

"Now keeping in mind, we see what's going on in Nova Scotia, it's very concerning, and all of that is certainly in parcel of our discussions and decision-making process as well."

The fifth water bomber has been grounded for nearly five years. In 2018, it was damaged when it struck a rock while fighting a fire on the Burin Peninsula.

The province originally planned to sell it, but decided to revisit that decision last year, in the wake of wildfires that swept central Newfoundland.

Government officials have highlighted the impacts of climate change as one of the factors they are considering.

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