‘It’s Canadian’: Moose Jaw reacts to Snowbirds’ grounding

Moose Jaw is welcoming news that the Snowbirds will remain based at 15 Wing, boosting tourism and community pride. Donovan Maess has more.

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Snowbirds have made their home at 15 Wing Moose Jaw since the unit’s founding in 1971.

Seen by Canadians coast-to-coast-to-coast and airshow enthusiasts worldwide, the famous red bellies, white tops and blue stripes of the Snowbirds are an iconic sight.

However, it’s extra special for Darren McCormick, whose father once painted them.

“He had a lot of pride, the whole plant had a lot of pride, working on something as symbolic as the Snowbirds,” he told CTV News. “They’re extremely well known and around a lot of places.”

On Tuesday, the federal government announced plans to ground the air demonstration team until at least 2030 as it works to procure replacement aircraft.

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The Department of National Defence will replace the (RCAF) Snowbirds’ long-serving CT-114 Tutor jets with a new aircraft, the CT-157 Siskin II, under a modernization effort.

Originally from Winnipeg, Man., McCormick says his father worked as a spray painter for an aerospace painting company for more than 40 years. One of its contracts was the Snowbirds.

McCormick now lives in Thunder Bay, Ont. He and his wife are driving across Canada to visit friends when they stopped to walk their dogs under the replica Snowbirds’ statue in Moose Jaw.

It was there they learned the planes his father used to work on are being grounded.

“It’s disappointing,” he said. “I know it costs a lot of money and there’s a lot of other demands on tax dollars. But this is something which does put a lot of pride for Canadians of all ages, from little people all the way through to adults and people who have served.”

“They’re huge symbols of the Canadian military. The expertise of the pilots, together with the ground crews that do the maintenance on these birds. They give Canadians as a whole a lot of pride and I think that’s something very important right now with the global situation,” McCormick added.

The McCormicks are not the only travelers stopping by the Moose Jaw tourism booth to catch a glimpse of the Snowbirds’ monument.

Sam O’Brien and his girlfriend stopped along Highway 1 during their road trip from Kingston, Ont. back home to B.C.

“I saw [the Snowbirds] at a show in Abbotsford when I was younger,” he recalled. “Whenever they come to town I remember it’s a bit of a big thing and they caused a stir.”

“[The news] is definitely a little sad. Hopefully they come back better than ever with their new fancy planes. But it is something that will be missed,” O’Brien added.

“It’s too bad the planning wasn’t a little better, I guess,” said Tony Tarrant, who is from Calgary driving to Ontario and also stopped in Moose Jaw for a quick picture of the replica plane.

“They could have had their new equipment in place before they shut this down. I know a lot of people, a lot of people really love air shows and what they do is phenomenal.”

An economic force

The Snowbirds have close ties to their home base.

“The Snowbirds are such a vital part of our community,” Tourism Moose Jaw executive director Donna Fritzke said. “We’re very proud of them and everyone in this city loves the Snowbirds. We get to see them practice on a daily basis and when you see a great big heart in the sky, it just makes you smile.”

For more than 50 years, Moose Jaw has long supported the team and reaped the benefits as local air shows bring thousands to the community.

“It’s all about experiences,” Fritze said. “We’re storytellers. It’s about our culture and our heritage and the Snowbirds are all entwined inside into that. [The shows] are an economic boost for our community and we’re very fortunate to have them.”

The Snowbirds have been, not only been a sense of pride for the country, but for the province and for the City of Moose Jaw.

“[They] are cherished to all of us,” Mayor James Murdock said. “They are part of our fabric, especially for our community of Moose Jaw. It’s a positive to hear that they will continue for generations to come.”

However, Mayor Murdock says the temporary grounding does leave a gap in a key economic driver for the city.

“They saw there will be opportunities for the squadron to continue on,” he said. “But I would like to see ways they can remain as sharp as possible.”

Back at the tourism booth, McCormick can not wait to see the colours back in the air once again.

“The markings, the flag, the maple leaf, all of that, it’s Canadian,” he said. “They have a global reputation and it’s heightened Canada’s image around the world.”

“Life is all about change. And I was happy to hear there is a plan moving forward. Maybe it’ll come back bigger and better.”

The Snowbirds will host its 55th anniversary air show July 11 at 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

That show will be the final hometown show before the replacement of the fleet.

-With files from Allison Bamford and Graham Richardson