Uncertainty clouds future of Snowbirds as Ottawa looks to retire equipment

The future of the celebrated Snowbird squadron may be up in the air, as the Department of National Defence is considering retiring older equipment, including the Snowbirds' airshow jets.

That has sparked some concern in Moose Jaw, where the Snowbirds were formed in 1971.

The team has flown the same aircraft for its entire history and the federal defence minister says they've finally aged out.

"The reality is the Tutor plane is well past its utility," Defence Minister Bill Blair told CBC earlier this week.

"There are even some safety issues that are deeply concerning to me and I've received assurances that through this flight season ... they can manage those safely, but it continues to persist as a concern."

The Air Force recently installed new avionics the defence department says can keep the demonstration jets flying until perhaps 2030 almost 70 years after they were purchased.

The decision will ultimately be up to the minister and his successor, Lt.-Gen. (soon to be General) Jennie Carignan.

Moose Jaw Mayor Clive Tolley said the Snowbirds are a part of the fabric of the city.

"There are more than 50 employees currently working for the Snowbirds and their families in the city," Tolleysaid.

"There's a spin-off effect. They buy things locally. They purchase things locally and they're a big part of our economy and we certainly hope that they never leave."

Tolley said the fleet started with more than 100 planes and is now down to 25 or 30.

"The Tutor aircraft is still safe and it's done a tremendous job for a long time. And it's going tobe safe until the military says it's not and then it'll have to be replaced."

He said the talk aboutretiringthe jets isn't surprising, but he hopes the Snowbirds, an iconic symbolof Canadian pride, stay in the air.

"We hope that a new aircraft will be found and implemented and that it'll be done in such a way that they don't lose, but gain attention, and become even better."

WATCH | Too old, too costly: Ottawa weighs retiring Snowbirds, minesweepers:

Too old, too costly: Ottawa weighs retiring Snowbirds, minesweepers

3 months ago

Duration 2:01

The Canadian military is actively weighing retiring some aging planes and ships over safety and cost concerns, CBC News has learned. On the potential chopping block: the decades-old Snowbirds aerobatic jets and Canadas fleet of aging minesweepers.

The Western Development Museum in Moose Jaw has an exhibit dedicated to the Snowbirds.

"If you have ever gone to an air show and seen the Snowbirds perform, I don't even know how to describe it, but there is such a feeling of pride," Katherine Fitton, manager at the Western Development Museum, said.

"It's really important to our community."