Stop throwing good money after bad

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/09/2016 (3382 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Exactly right. The province of Manitoba made the right decision when it turned down a request from the Winnipeg Police Board to provide more money to replace an infrared camera on board the police helicopter. Instead, the government opted to wait until an audit determines if Air1 — as the police service likes to call it — is providing the city good bang for its buck. It’s too bad city hall didn’t take the same approach.

In January 2015, the Winnipeg Police Service asked for a new camera, as Air1’s ability to fly was impeded by the fact the infrared device was out for repairs. The formal request was made in June 2015, with the province being asked to come up with $180,000 to match the police budget for a total cost of $360,000. Now, however, the cost has gone up by another $200,000, in part because of differences in the Canada-U.S. exchange rates. The province said no, even though Manitoba pays all the operational costs for Air1, including its staffing, fuel and hangar space to the tune of $1.8 million annually.

So Wednesday, the matter went behind closed doors to the police board, which found the extra money from a reserve fund. Frankly, the extra $200,000 is a drop in the bucket for overall budgets, but this police helicopter has never really been fully operational so it’s like throwing good money after bad. It currently remains grounded because the camera is not working, although for a time the police service was borrowing one from Edmonton.

The chopper has been a questionable purchase since it was first put into service in 2011, with ongoing issues with staffing, repair problems and costly maintenance. The first time the chopper was able to achieve its annual goal of 1,000 hours of flight time was 2015, attending 2,162 events, with 347 people apprehended and 112 being taken into custody for criminal offences. That works out to about five calls for service a day at a cost of $850 an event. In terms of bang for a buck, it’s more like a whimper for a dime.

When the NDP government made the call for an independent operational review of Air1 in January, it was the first since the helicopter began providing service. Then-justice minister Gord Mackintosh said the province wanted the audit to ensure the helicopter is “providing effective, efficient and appropriate service.” It’s something the newly elected Pallister government appears to agree with, confirming a review is still in the works.

Meanwhile, there’s no word when a new camera will be installed. The helicopter remains grounded, wasting even more money.

Police board chairman Coun. Scott Gillingham did say if, after the review has concluded, the decision was made to sell the helicopter, having a working infrared camera will make it easier to market. Perhaps, but for some critics, this is kind of like trying to sell an AMC Pacer at a higher price by putting in a new transmission. At the end of the day, it’s still an AMC Pacer.