Prince George-Peace River MP Bob Zimmer is championing the idea of converting a surplus federal government Challenger jets into an air ambulance in northern B.C.
The federal government has four Challenger jets which it will be looking to dispose of in the coming weeks and one option on the table is using them as air ambulances in some parts of the country. Zimmer said he's going to approach National Defence Minister Peter MacKay about the need in his riding.
"I'll talk to the minister and see what we can do," Zimmer said. "But I'm not going to prejudge, there might be other places that they need to go or are slated to go."
Challenger jets are used in other jurisdictions, such as Quebec, for air ambulance service and are considered among the best fixed-wing planes for the task.
Zimmer said the jets are still in use and a decision on their fate hasn't been made. He said they would be a good fit for northern B.C. due to the geographical challenges of delivering health care over the vast territory.
"I'm not going suggest that I have the best idea for them, but it certainly would be helpful for our region," Zimmer said. "I'm willing to support any initiative that would help bring services to the north in a better way."
