Photo Credit: Change.org
A petition has been circulating asking that the provincial government bring back funding for the Martin Mars Water Bomber and thousands of people have already signed it.
After just four days more than 14,000 people have signed in support of bringing back the bomber. Petition Organizer Chris Alemany is hoping that the government takes a serious look at funding the Mars after this year’s fire season has already burned up thousands of hectares of land.
“There are signatures from every corner of BC,” reads the petition. “This is truly an outcry from across the province. This is consistent with the unanimous approval of the resolution at last September's Union of BC Municipalities to fund the Mars to protect communities.”
Signatures are not only from British Columbia but all other provinces and around the world. The cost to run the Mars would be about $700,000 for the season and currently the government is paying $3 million a day for fire suppression.
The provincial government says working with the smaller fleet of bombers is more efficient but petition supporters disagree and are asking the government to sign a contract to bring the Mars back for five more years.
Photo Credit: Martin Mars
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