To the Editor:
The Bethune Doppler Weather Radar Station (northwest of Regina) went out of commission for four days at the end of last week. It was also broken last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that - typically, right in the middle of the high-risk season for summer storms.
Professional storm chasers say the Bethune Station has become a common joke. Environment Canada says it's just bad luck.
But the bottom line is this - the Doppler system at Bethune has experienced chronic problems over several years and the federal government needs to get it fixed once and for all.
Farmers depend on weather radar for critical cropping information quite literally every day, and the general population rely on the system for advance storm warnings. It's a matter of basic public safety, and it needs to be reliably available all of the time.
This is a basic responsibility of the Government of Canada.
In addition, technology has advanced significantly since Canada's Doppler system was first deployed. Beyond basic repair and maintenance, the system should be upgraded and more stations added to make the overall Canadian radar network more comprehensive.
But this is not a priority for the Harper government. Budget cutting is their only mantra. Why has Bethune failed four consecutive years in a row? Why does it take four days or more to get to the site and fix it? This smacks of under-funding, neglect and mismanagement.
Since 2012, Parliament has approved over $300-million to upgrade Canadian meteorological services over some six years, but every year, tens of millions of dollars in Environment Canada's capital budget gets "lapsed" - i.e., announced, but not actually invested. This a well-known Harper government tactic. We've seen it in infrastructure, defence procurement, and many other fields. They're all being short-changed.
And meanwhile, the Bethune weather radar station remains as weak and vulnerable as ever, and the federal government is showing no sense of urgency for those who depend upon it.
Ralph Goodale, MP, Wascana, SK.
