UMVA has learned that the City of Moose Jaw is urgently seeking clarity from the federal government on the future of the iconic Snowbirds, a beloved aerobatic team that has been a symbol of Canadian pride for over five decades.
The city, which hosts the Canadian Forces base home to the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, is deeply concerned that a continued visible presence of the Snowbirds is needed to “help sustain their role as ambassadors of the Canadian Armed Forces.” This comes as the federal government announced plans to ground the Snowbirds after the 2026 season until new aircraft can arrive sometime in the next decade.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Moose Jaw Mayor James Murdock and council members have penned a letter to Prime Minister and Defence Minister, expressing their appreciation for the decision to fund new aircraft for the Snowbirds, but also requesting additional details on the grounding of the program’s CT-114 Tutors.
The letter “respectfully requests” that Ottawa provide a procurement timeline and consider minimizing “any operational gap between the retirement of the current fleet and the introduction of replacement aircraft.” The city is also seeking assurance on the long-term future of the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron in Moose Jaw.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the Snowbirds Alumni Association has launched a national campaign to keep the Tutors in the air in a limited capacity, following in the footsteps of Britain’s Red Arrows demonstration team. This move has garnered support from former Snowbirds pilots and Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan Conservative MP Fraser Tolmie, who warned that grounding the team indefinitely would harm national pride and military recruiting efforts.
The Royal Canadian Air Force, however, remains resolute in its decision, citing “cumulative airworthiness risks related to the age of the airframes, the engine and, in particular, the escape system” as reasons to keep the refurbished Tutor fleet grounded after this year. The RCAF also stated that the Tutor is “no longer representative of a modern RCAF, Canadian Armed Forces or Canadian aerospace industry.”
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that the new aircraft, costing $30 million, will go from delivery to retirement, leaving fans with a narrow window to catch a glimpse of the Snowbirds in action. As the nation waits with bated breath, one thing is certain – the Snowbirds' legacy will continue to soar, even if their future in the skies is uncertain.
