Daryl Dolynny, Range Lake MLA, questions firefighting decisions
'What was the rationale for us not using our entire air attack fleet during the whole season?'
A member of the Northwest Territories legislature says he has $50 million worth of questions about this year's fire season.
Daryl Dolynny, the member for Range Lake, put some of those questions to the Minister of the Environment, Michael Miltenberger, Tuesday.
Dolynny wanted to know about how resources were used — or not used — during the worst fire season in 30 years.
"What was the rationale for us not using our entire air attack fleet during the whole season?" he asked. "Why did some of our planes on contract log very little hours at some of our peak moments?"
Dolynny says raising questions about how the territory fought the fires this season can help inform government decisions the future. He also asked Miltenberger why there wasn't clear communication with the public at the start of the season.
Dolynny says he's looking forward to an informative and frank report from the minister.
Miltenberger has said the department is reviewing how the fire season went.
The N.W.T.'s Department of Environment and Natural Resources spent $55 million fighting fires this season — eight times the amount of money budgeted.