The Government of Canada Donates Surplus Coast Guard Helicopter to Northern Lights College
The Government of Canada is supporting the development of well-trained, skilled personnel to serve the aerospace industry of the future, by donating surplus Coast Guard assets to colleges and universities across Canada. These donations are helping to support aircraft maintenance training in Canada, providing practical and hands-on experience to students.
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced today that the Aerospace Centre of Excellence at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek, BC, has received a Coast Guard Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm BO-105 helicopter. Nine other educational training institutions located across Canada have also received a donated BO-105 helicopter.
The ten Coast Guard BO-105 helicopters were in service in the Canadian Coast Guard for more than 30 years. The first BO-105 helicopter was purchased by the Coast Guard in April 1985, and the last unit was purchased in April 1988. The helicopter fleet plays an essential part in supporting programs such as icebreaking, marine communication, aids to navigation, environmental response, waterway protection, conservation and protection, science and support to other government departments, as required.
As part of the Coast Guard's Fleet Renewal Plan, the Government of Canada has purchased and deployed 22 new helicopters – 15 light-lift helicopters (Bell 429) and seven medium-lift helicopters (Bell 412EPI).