Water bomber pilot shortage grounds aircraft in Ontario

Several aircraft used to fight forest fires in Ontario are sitting in airport hangars and on tarmacs due to a pilot shortage.

JP Hornick, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), said the province is currently short three water bomber pilots and six helicopter pilots due to low pay and poor working conditions.

"The Ontario pilots are the lowest paid in the country and what the government has put on the table would bring them up to a whopping second lowest paid position across the country," Hornick said.

That pilot shortage has meant one of Ontario's nine Canadair CL-415 water bombers has been grounded. Three of the province's eight helicopters used for firefighting have also been grounded.

Hornick said two of the five bush planes used by the Ministry of Natural Resources have also been grounded because there are only three pilots available to fly them.

Hornick said the problem is likely to get worse because four of the five captains who pilot the fleet of water bombers are retirement age, and the province is already short three pilots.

In an email to CBC News, Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson Emily McLaughlin said the province is investing nearly $64 million in training and new equipment to fight forest fires.

"Our government will dedicate all necessary resources to ensure the safety and protection of Ontario during wildfire season and have prepared for this fire season by filling nearly 100 additional permanent fire personnel positions," McLaughlin said.

She added that should the wildfire situation change in northern Ontario, the province is prepared to "deploy additional resources as needed to ensure a timely and effective response."

Hornick noted the province cut $42 million from the wildland firefighting budget earlier this year.

They said pilots aren't applying for positions with the ministry when they can make more elsewhere, such as flying with commercial airlines.

"They're saying they're going to buy six more planes, but they don't even have enough staff to fly the planes they have," Hornick said.

"Over the last two years they've held three pilot hiring competitions. Only one qualified applicant emerged due to the low pay and none of them were hired."

Guy Bourgouin, the NDP MPP for Mushkegowuk-James Bay, has also raised concerns about the pilot shortage.