De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited has reached an agreement with the federal government and Export Development Canada (EDC) for up to $2.5 billion in financing to double production capacity for its Canadair 515 waterbombers. The Calgary-based manufacturer, which operates as De Havilland Canada, announced the agreement on Friday, Oct. 30.
The company said the financing will allow it to expand manufacturing operations and hire additional workers. It expects to make additional aircraft production slots available starting in 2030 as it works toward doubling its current manufacturing capacity.
According to a federal government backgrounder, the financing will be delivered through EDC to support increased manufacturing capacity and strengthen Canadian aerospace supply chains. The financing agreement addresses the company's ability to manufacture additional aircraft. It does not establish a national firefighting fleet or announce a federal purchase of waterbombers.
The announcement follows a summer campaign by De Havilland Canada calling for a federally supported national fleet of waterbombers that could be deployed to help provinces and territories fight wildfires. The campaign coincided with growing public discussion about Canada's aerial firefighting capacity during a wildfire season that caused extensive damage in British Columbia, including the Okanagan.
In July, De Havilland Canada released findings from a Pollara survey showing 89 per cent of respondents supported federal investment in waterbombers to help provinces protect communities and the environment. Neil Sweeney, the company's vice-president of corporate affairs, said at the time that longer, hotter summers made additional firefighting capacity increasingly urgent.
The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce reported in late August that calls for a national waterbomber fleet were growing as wildfires displaced residents and disrupted businesses across the Okanagan.
The debate over firefighting resources gained urgency in August as major wildfires forced evacuations across the Okanagan. The Bald Range wildfire, discovered Aug. 7 about 15 kilometres west of Summerland, burned through areas around Faulder and Meadow Valley. In an Aug. 17 update, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen reported a preliminary estimate of approximately 150 structures damaged or destroyed, about 110 of them in Electoral Area F and about 40 within the District of Summerland.
An RDOS statistics update issued Aug. 21 reported that 7,093 properties had been affected by evacuation orders or alerts during the emergency, and Emergency Support Services recorded registrations representing approximately 15,000 people. Aircraft were among the resources deployed during firefighting operations, alongside ground crews working to protect communities.
In an Oct. 18 interview with The Canadian Press, Sweeney said a government order for 50 additional waterbombers would provide the foundation for a second production line at the company's planned manufacturing complex east of Calgary. At that time, De Havilland Canada reported 38 aircraft on order, with its available production slots committed through 2034.
De Havilland Canada says the financing will support additional manufacturing capacity at its facilities in Calgary and Victoria, along with operations in Toronto, Kitchener and Fort Erie, Ont. For Canadians in wildfire-prone provinces, the agreement signals increased future aircraft supply, but any national fleet would still require a separate federal decision on purchases.