Thibeault to get OPP helicopter update this week

Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault says he hopes to have more information later this week on the fate of the OPP's emergency rescue helicopter the force plans to move from Sudbury to Orillia.

Thibeault said he's heard the rumours the helicopter has already moved south and the OPP is proceeding with plans to shut the hangar it rents at the Greater Sudbury Airport.

"I have no idea about that,” Thibeault said Tuesday. “But that's part of the information I'm hoping to get, because there's lots of rumours happening out there. So I'm trying to base my information off of facts.

“I just want to end all of rumours and deal with the facts, and deal with the safety of those of us in the North and Northern Ontario."

While no one from the force was available to comment, the OPP has said centralizing both of its helicopters at its base in Orillia will save $254,000 a year, and allow them to expand the operating hours of the two helicopters.

In an earlier interview, OPP spokesperson Sgt. Carolle Dionne said the decision was the result of a review of operations.

"It was an internal decision," Dionne said. "It's the result of reviewing the service delivery and the needs of the organization."

However, the decision has been criticized because, among other reasons, the Orillia base is located in a snowbelt and the aircraft are frequently grounded in winter due to storms. When that happened in the past, the Sudbury helicopter could still respond to calls in southern Ontario.

And the helicopter is often used to locate people with dementia or stranded in remote locations – both common occurrences in Northern Ontario, where the population is older and the land mass much bigger.

There are three people in Sudbury affected by the move, although the OPP said no one is losing their jobs due to the relocation.

Thibeault said he spoke to the minister responsible for the OPP – Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Yasir Naqvi – on Monday.

"From what I was told, he's going to be getting an update from the deputy minister this week sometime, and then we'll have a conversation,” Thibeault said. “So I can't give you a yeah or a nay, because I don't know. But part of the briefing I'm hoping to get is to clarify all of that.

"This isn't an issue I'm letting go. This is one that is important."