Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Manitoba's NDP government looking to purchase two pricey planes

WINNIPEG –  The NDP government should re-tender its contracts to secure private airfare before spending as much as $15 million to purchase two planes, the Manitoba Aviation Council said Tuesday.

The MAC was responding to a QMI Agency story that revealed the provincial government planned to buy a Twin Otter, then lease it to Manitoba Hydro to transport its employees to projects in Northern Manitoba.

"It is our understanding that the government intends to purchase two aircraft, one to service Hydro and one for the delivery of health services to rural areas in southern Manitoba," MAC executive director Ron Coles said in a letter sent to the Winnipeg Sun. "As a result, the government's expenditure will likely be in the neighbourhood of $15 million, excluding retrofitting for the health aircraft."

No one responded to the government's tender to supply a twin-engine plane to transport Hydro employees, MAC confirmed. But there were underlying reasons for that, Coles suggested.

The province is now seeking a used Twin Otter for Hydro. It is unclear whether the government plans to buy its own aircraft for the Southern Air Ambulance Program, or put it out to tender.

"(Buying its own plane) is certainly the speculation," said Tory health critic Cameron Friesen. "We don't know where the province is at in respect of making this a permanent program."

Manitoba Health is indeed assessing the case for buying an aircraft to use in southern Manitoba, as opposed to leasing one, an NDP spokesperson confirmed. The province has yet to make a decision. No actual NDP ministers responded to requests for comment.

Coles said plenty of private businesses would submit bids to service southern Manitoba if it was put to tender.

"It would support economic development in Manitoba," Friesen said.

Owning their own aircraft would lead to a lot of problems for the provincial government beyond the money spent, Coles added.

"It's a lot of money at a time when the province really doesn't have much money," said Colin Craig, Prairies director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "The debt is going up by about 47 dollars a second, so to go out and buy an airplane, it seems like kind of a questionable decision.

"Let's see the business case behind it and show taxpayers why it's more economical to buy a plane versus leasing."

-- With files from Nicole Dube


Story:    http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca

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