Derek 2.0

And in the article, he also stated if requested by the Alberta Government, they would make every effort to be there......

That won't last long, per the Disaster Financial Assistance Agreement (Appendix A), the Feds will be on the hook for 50% of the costs after $3.03 per capita has been reached, 75% after $6.07 has been reached, and 90% after the second $6.07.........So the Feds are going to be on the hook for billions, all the while they will see a reduction in revenue and a ding to the economy..........even if only 25% of the city has been destroyed, in terms of cost, this fire is one pace to be the largest natural disaster in Canadian history.

The cost to rebuild should be in the billions.......iirc, the Slave lake fire several years ago cost over $3 billion, and Fort Mac is many times larger. As to the economy in general, who knows, as of yet, no major O&G facilities have been damaged....but there should be a major impact with the stoppage in oil production.....and wait for the jump in home insurance On the plus side, all those unemployed people in the trades due to the oil downturn, should see a mini building boom in Northern Alberta........

Exactly........or why the Notely government hasn't sought the part in the contract with Conair (the largest aerial tanker company in the world) to reestablish the water bombers based outside of Fort Mac that were cut by the Alberta Government last year.......... ----------- I wonder what effect this will have on the Alberta and Canadian Federal budget projections????

It doesn't mater what rodeo this is for the fire fighters on the ground, the Notely government signs the contracts. I have no idea, but through their service, the Mars bombers have saved countless communities throughout British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

Exactly, so the suggestion that additional aerial tankers wouldn't help, namely ones then based an hour away and cut by the Alberta Government, wouldn't have helped beggars belief...........BC 2004 mentioned the Martin Mars (based a few hours away from my home), last year the BC Liberals were pressured into contracting it out again to fight fires after they cut its contract to save money...........and here we are today, and one of the World's largest water bombers, that have set records in the amount of water it has dropped, sits parked here on Vancouver Island.........why didn't the Alberta Government contract out them last weekend when the fire fighters on the ground said they needed help? It would stand to reason, if aerial tankers are currently being used to save peoples homes in Fort Mac, one of the world largest water bombers should also be there, instead of looking for a contract.

Further to the French appeal: Serge Dassualt avoided corruption charges in the 90s.........who knows, maybe the Rafale will dodge a bullet in India.... Furthermore: 30% offsets kills any prospects of a Canadian deal.......not to worry, $8.9 billion for 36 aircraft and ten years support is nothing to jump up and down over........I'd love to see that translated into 65 aircraft and 40 years support, with the same accounting methods as the F-35 applied

Excellent, from your cite: Of course we require new gun ammunition with every single European aircraft......but it confirms my point, our entire inventory could be used with the F-35 (or the other American aircraft), unlike the European aircraft, absent Canada paying the cost to integrate said inventory with them......or purchase new munitions. Ahh yes like I said (and cited).......but a comparison to the RAAF isn't apt, as Canada has no intention to purchase next generation standoff weapons (joint strike missile, SDB II etc) to equip its fighter force.........apples to mangos

Then why are they still using aerial tankers to combat the blaze (inside the city limits)? Clearly additional aerial tankers aren't going to make the fire worse, nor would the closed air tanker base (~1 hour South of Fort Mac) have degraded the (initial) response.

from your cite: What good are air tankers if there is nobody to fly them?

No. I have no idea, you would have to define "significant improvement". I don't know that its public or even measured............based on your cited rate from the year previous, I'd assume we wouldn't know the current rate until ~next year. Common bloody sense that a low serviceability would be the result of said software delays, including delays found with the aircraft's logistics......if you want a cite, revisit every post of yours containing a link with a story encompassing software/ALIS delays

The army did exactly (With over 1500 personal) that several years ago here in British Columbia, with a one day training session from the BC Forest Service........It's hard, labor intensive work......not putting a man on Mars.

I'm still await your cites

I only ever suggested cost, in the form of integration or purchasing new munitions........I never once suggested technical considerations, fore anything technical can be overcome with enough money No, additional munitions for the RCAF......said KPMG report was complied after our involvement in Libya, when Canada did need to restock its supply of smart munitions............of course, since then, we've purchased replacements for the previous bombing mission in Iraq.........in said example, said munitions can be used by our current Hornets, the F-35, the F-16 or the Super Hornet.....not the Rafale. See previous (cited) post.

No, I get that..........and the remaining ~$10 million? Moving around more.........as in spread thin? As noted in the article: Did the NDP Government re-enter said contract with BC's Conair? Would one expect Conair to keep a portion of its fleet parked well waiting for Alberta to "re-enter" the contract? ------------ I note the NDP government didn't restore the previous Government cuts, to a decades long basing of water bombers just South of the now raging wildfire, despite warnings from the Wild Rose opposition in 2015.......instead, the NDP Government cuts the budget further, despite warnings from the Wild Rose opposition.......

From your cited piece: I never suggested that there was a technical "hurdle".......just money and time. How long is a piece of string? Noted that you acknowledge there will be an added cost in selecting a non-American aircraft though.........an added cost that wouldn't be realized with the F-35, F-16 and F/A-18E/F. Reread both articles............you nattered on for months over delays with software........what do you think caused the low FM rating? Surely software delays, including delays in the F-35's automated logistics information system, were at play

I guess "very good" is subjective.......what percentage of the city is currently gone? Can't disagree with you there.

Of course she won't..........last year the BC Government was lucky after cuts to the aerial tanker program.......Alberta not so much.

I'll have to ask for your source.........and yes cuts do/did effect aerial tanker contracts.......you speak to "the two companies that always provided tanker contracts", but were remiss in mentioning that in the previous Alberta budget, the Alberta (PC) government reduced the overall numbers of tankers they contracted from said companies, removing one tanker group that was based in Lac la Biche for decades......Lac la Biche is a ~1 hour flight South of Fort McMurray..... The Notely Government reduced funding further, and you suggest it has no impact?

Nope......but the $15 million removed from the budget would have hired a whole bunch more (6 month term) wildefire fighters earlier this year, personal able to contend with not only the Fort Mac fire, but the others throughout Alberta.....clearly enabling a far larger initial response from the Province, at the very least a response when those on scene were asking for additional help over the weekend and not days late when the city started burning and the fire was licking cars full of people escaping on the highway........ ........And then there is the Federal Government's response (or lack there of)........either the Notely Government was neglectful in asking the Feds for help earlier or the Federal Government crapped the bed in its response.......then there is a chance that both levels are at fault. Either way, cabinet ministers should be resigning over the piss poor response to the burning down of a Canadian city.............if this is how the Federal Government responds to a forest fire, we on the West Coast are truly screwed when the "Big One" wipes out South-Western British Columbia......

Oh, but it gets better: We can't even play Mexico or any Asia crap-hole that make socks for Costco:

Not cutting the forest fire fighting budget earlier this year would have been a good start.......

The RCAF has helicopters to transport fire fighters around the area, in addition to supplies, likewise the RCAF has transports to bring relief supplies in and stranded O&G workers out............the Army has plenty of strong backs that can swing an axe, pull a fire rake or utilize a goon-spoon.....to say nothing of traffic control, aide to stranded motorists, setting up temporary shelters etc etc etc......

I never suggested the Alberta NDP caused the fire........the piss poor response will be something they wear though.

How many fire fighters and aerial tanker contracts could $15 million have secured weeks earlier?