SaskatoonGovernment members rejected a motion by NDP MLA Hugh Gordon at Monday’s public accounts committee meeting to conduct a special investigation into the purchase of water bombers, following allegations the government overpaid for four aircraft.Provincial auditor says she will look into plane purchase as part of annual reviewHannah Spray · CBC News · Posted: Sep 22, 2025 7:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoA claim filed in court by Coulson Aircrane alleges the Saskatchewan government overpaid in its purchase of firefighting aircraft from Coulson’s competitor, and the Opposition NDP is now calling for a special investigation into the decision. (Coulsongroup.com)Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor says she will look into the province’s purchase of new firefighting planes, but the Opposition NDP says that doesn’t go far enough.On Friday, Tara Clemett’s office said the audit of new planes purchased by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency will be part of her regular annual review.That came after a B.C. company alleged in court filings that the government paid more than twice what it should have for four firefighting aircraft from its competitor, without giving other companies the opportunity to bid on the contract.On Monday, Opposition NDP MLA Hugh Gordon made a motion at the public accounts committee meeting at the Legislature requesting the auditor perform a special investigation into the maintenance and procurement of the aircraft.The motion failed, with two NDP committee members voting in favour and four Sask. Party members voting against.Jordan McPhail, the NDP MLA for the northeast riding of Cumberland, spoke to media in Saskatoon after the vote, repeating the call for a “full-fledged investigation” into the wildfire response in the province and what he called the “scandal” of the plane purchase.”Frustration and disappointment don’t even begin to describe what I feel. People have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their communities. The least they deserve is answers from their government,” he said.Jordan McPhail, the NDP MLA for Cumberland, says a ‘full-fledged investigation’ is needed into the purchase of new firefighting aircraft by the Saskatchewan government. (Chanss Lagaden/CBC)When asked what the difference would be between the auditor looking into the plane purchase in her annual review versus a special investigation, an NDP spokesperson said they have two concerns.Firstly, it’s not likely there would be any answers on the procurement question until next fire season or later. Secondly, they would like to also see the grounding of other firefighting planes investigated.The government came under fire this summer after four firefighting aircraft in its fleet were grounded for maintenance or other reasons during the height of the wildfire season.The purchase of four new planes, retrofitted for firefighting purposes, is also under scrutiny. In February, cabinet approved the purchase of the planes from B.C.-based Conair group for $187 million.The first plane was delivered early this summer, but sat grounded for months because pilots hadn’t yet been certified to fly it.In an application to Court of King’s Bench in August, another B.C.-based company, Coulson Aircrane, alleged the government overpaid for the new Q400 planes by about $100 million. It’s asking the court to quash the sale and order a fair, transparent competition.In an affidavit, Coulson’s president Britt Coulson said his company “likely” could have provided four comparable airplanes for about $85.6 million, saving taxpayers $100 million.In an emailed statement on Monday, a government spokesperson said the provincial auditor has already indicated she’ll be reviewing the aircraft purchases, “and we welcome that work.”ABOUT THE AUTHORHannah Spray is a reporter and editor for CBC Saskatoon. She began her journalism career in newspapers, first in her hometown of Meadow Lake, Sask., moving on to Fort St. John, B.C., and then to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. With files from The Canadian Press
Sask. Party votes down NDP request for investigation into water bomber purchases
