Two of Ontario’s nine waterbombers are grounded for repairs as the province calls in help from across the country to battle for control of nearly 200 wildfires ripping through the north.
Questions from opponents and experts have lingered through the fire season about how many planes Ontario has from its own fleet available to fight, with questions and concerns about crewing and mechanical readiness.
The Ministry of Natural Resources indicated to Global News that two of its waterbombers were grounded for repairs but said there were no issues with staffing its fleet, claiming the rest of its planes are in use.
“Ontario is directing all available resources to support wildfire response efforts across the province,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources said.
“The province currently has approximately 80 helicopters and waterbombers in operation, supported by an additional 40 aircraft available to assist with wildfire management and response. Any equipment that is not currently operational is undergoing maintenance or repairs, and every effort is being made to safely return those assets to service as quickly as possible.”
The total number of aircraft the province has fighting fire has risen in the past week from 50 to 80 as planes and helicopters are sent in from neighbouring jurisdictions to help battle a record-breaking season.
Data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre shows Ontario has been sent three Birddog aircraft, four waterbombers, five helicopters and six AT-802 amphibious airplanes.
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While Ontario did confirm two of its nine waterbombers are down for repairs, it did not provide a full list of what aircraft it had available to fight fires.
Verifying which aircraft are being used or how long some have been down for repairs is complicated.
Steffan Watkins, who tracks aircraft using public data, said six of the province’s nine heavy waterbombers are flying for sure, but he hasn’t picked up three of the nine on his tracking.
“I don’t have great visibility in northern Ontario compared to, say, around Toronto or Ottawa or in the United States or Europe,” he explained.
“So I can’t tell for sure how many are actually working on a day-to-day basis, but I can tell that they all congregated in northern Ontario, or at least six of them have congregated in Northern Ontario. So I presume those are working.”
Ontario NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois said it has been difficult to get clear information from the government.
“Is it possible to verify there are actually 80 planes or aircraft up there? We don’t have any way to verify that one way or the other,” she said. “It does matter that our own equipment is not ready to go.”
She suggested the initial base budget for forest firefighting wasn’t big enough to prepare for the record-breaking season.
“It does matter that the budget was not big enough to allow the fire agency to get ready, to be ready. Obviously, terrible things have happened this fire season and we can’t just say it’s come out of the blue.”
A spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford’s office insisted the province was prepared for the fire season — and that the government will spend as much money as it needs to battle the blazes.
The opposition has suggested the initial budget should have been higher to spend more on long-term preparedness, while the government argues there is no limit on the budget because it will spend as much as necessary once firefighting begins.
Critics point to the fact Ontario consistently outspends its budget on wildland firefighting as evidence it was not prepared.
In 2024, for example, Ontario budgeted $135 million but spent $171 million by the time the season had finished. In 2025, the budget wasn’t increased and the amount spent was $271 million.
For 2026, the government increased its budget to $150 million, still less than it had spent in either of the previous two years.
“There is no limit to spending, and if it’s $500 million this year, so be it,” Ford said on Saturday. “I’ve made clear direction to our ministers, I don’t care what this costs.”
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