New Brunswick to reveal amphibious aircraft ahead of hot summer months

The New Brunswick government says it’s unveiling an investment in new amphibious aircraft Tuesday morning.

Amphibious aircraft includes planes and helicopters that are designed to take off and land on both water and solid ground.

The announcement is being held at Forest Protection Ltd., which is majority-owned by the New Brunswick government.

Forest Protection conducts aerial surveys, manages forest health and also provides rapid-response wildfire fighting.

Officials didn’t provide any further details in a media advisory last week.

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However, the Liberal government said in April it allocated $3 million to secure availability for four Fire Boss specialized water-scooping aircraft.

Premier Susan Holt in April kicked off wildfire season two weeks early this year over concerns related to record-low precipitation levels and a lack of snow.

Her Liberal government also spent $6.7 million to increase the number of year-round firefighting forest rangers to 169, up from 95.

The most recent Canada Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on May 5 shows abnormally dry to modern drought conditions across much of New Brunswick.

It marks a slight improvement over the extreme drought conditions that were recorded for parts of the province in February.

New Brunswick’s natural resources minister has previously warned this summer is shaping up to be among the hottest years on record.

Nova Scotia’s government last week announced it was contracting four water bombers and another plane from Forest Protection. Previously, it relied on aircraft from the Natural Resources department and other provinces.

Nova Scotia said the $6.5-million contract will increase its wildfire preparedness and includes pilots and operational staff.