Transportation
and Works
April 27, 2010
The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by
the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Transportation and Works:
First of Four New Waterbombers Arrives in the Province
I rise today before this Honourable House to announce the
delivery of the province's first new Bombardier 415 waterbomber —
the first of four new waterbombers that the Provincial Government has
purchased from Bombardier Aerospace in an agreement worth approximately
$120 million.
The delivery of this
new Bombardier 415 signals the beginning of a renewal process
that will see the modernization and upgrading of Newfoundland and
Labrador's vital emergency fire suppression capabilities. With this
purchase the overall firefighting responsibility, shared between the
Departments of Transportation and Works and Natural Resources forest
fire management services, will be enhanced. This is another significant
piece of infrastructure that will be added to this government's growing
list of strategic investments and infrastructure improvements that
benefit all residents of the province.
The Bombardier 415
is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has proven its capabilities
throughout the globe. This aircraft has now arrived in Gander and our
crews will begin training over the next several weeks. Once our
flight crews have completed this training, this new aircraft will be put
into service.
Our current fleet of six CL-215 waterbombers has been in
operation for several decades now and has served us admirably. Although
these planes are still fully operational and capable, four have reached
a point in their lifespan where they are due for replacement or
expensive overhauls. While we feel that we have maintained an effective
firefighting capacity, it is in the best interests of all residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador that we invest today to ensure we have the
necessary, most modern and reliable tools available to us tomorrow and
for many years to come.
This government has a long-term vision for an overall improved and
upgraded provincial infrastructure. Reflected in the theme of Budget
2010: The Right Investments — For Our Children and Our Future is
our continued commitment as a government to improve this province and
leave it in a better state for the many generations that will come after
us.
As announced in Budget 2010, the overall provincial infrastructure
investment is valued at an unprecedented $5 billion over the next
several years. In 2010-11 $50.3 million of this investment will go
towards the purchase of these four new waterbombers, another fine
example of our commitment to see our strategy and commitment through.
2010 04 27 2:15 p.m.