Wabush mayor calling on province to station water bomber in Labrador West again
Threat of fires only growing with climate change, says Ron Barron
The mayor of Wabush says Labrador West isn't prepared to fight forest fires and is calling on the provincial government to come up with a plan before it's too late.
Mayor Ron Barron told CBC News a water bomber had been stationed in Labrador West for years, but that changed when the provincial government moved to a four-plane fleet in 2019. The number of forestry workers has also been cut in half for the region, he said.
"So are we ready for a fire if it was here starting today or tomorrow? No," Barron said Monday.
"We keep getting told that, you know, the plane will come in if there's an issue or if we have a dry spell they'll put one here on the ground, but all I see is that we've went backwards here in the province, especially in Labrador."
Barron said he is "astounded" there isn't a water bomber in his region. Having one stationed in Gander puts a time crunch on a scenario where time is already of the essence, he said.
He remembers major fires in Labrador West in 1992 and 2013, and he's concerned about how the situations would have unfolded without a water bomber strategically placed in the area at the time.
"Our town here could have been in rough shape if we didn't have the services here. So I can see bad things happening without the proper resources in place," Barron said.
"I'll be adamant till the day I die that that plane needs to be here, on the ground, [to] protect the people of Labrador West."
Barron's concerns are amplified by the threat of forest fires burning across Canada, especially ones burning in Nova Scotia and neighbouring Quebec.
He said the threat of forest fires will only grow as climate change continues and the government needs to have a plan to fight fires should they develop in Labrador.
"You need five planes in this province," he said.
"Lab West is vital to the economy of this province. And heaven forbid we have an issue here where we lose a town or lose homes."
Barron said the provincial government has assured him that one or more of the province's four available planes would be dispatched to Labrador in the event of a fire.
CBC News has asked Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Elvis Loveless for comment.
NDP Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown also called on the government earlier this month to address its preparedness for fires in Labrador. He said the province needs to have a "proactive and not reactive approach."
"We are thankful that the water bomber sent to help with fires in Nova Scotia from Newfoundland and Labrador was able to be safely recalled to help fight fires impacting our region but that may not always be the case," Brown said in a media release.
"But, as climate change continues to impact the world, the current approach means governments may have to pick and choose who gets help when. That is quite concerning as we find ourselves cut off from some supply routes and fires continue."
With files from Jo Ann Dooley
