The union representing 1,200 volunteer firefighters across Ontario is welcoming the Ontario government's decision to strengthen the volunteer fire service and to protect full-time firefighters who also serve as volunteers in their off hours. The change was proposed in the Bill that accompanied the Fall Economic Statement delivered by Finance Minister Vic Fedeli.
The Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) represents more than 60,000 workers in almost every sector of the economy.
"We applaud the action taken by the Ford government to protect two-hatters and to effectively support the thousands of volunteers serving in over 400 fire departments across the province,” said Ian DeWaard, provincial director.
“The volunteers that our organization represents, and who are also full-time firefighters, have faced bullying, discipline, and the threat of firing. This is not the way to treat the heroes who protect our communities.”
The government also took action to revoke the firefighter certification regulation which had recently taken effect.
The regulation required all volunteer firefighters to complete more than 225 hours of training within a two-year internship period.
See: Government loosens firefighter regs to help volunteer departments
The provincial government calculates that there are 19,000 volunteers serving in 410 of 441 fire departments, meaning a full 90 percent of Ontario’s municipalities count on volunteer responders.
"Since 2001, the union that represents full-time firefighters has forced over 1,500 firefighters to resign their volunteer positions. It was able to do this by expelling from membership (or threatening to expel), disciplining, or by fining any of their union’s members who were caught serving as a volunteer firefighter, something referred to as 'two-hatting,'" says the CLAC.
The proposed change to the law will prevent the full-time firefighters’ union from punishing its members simply because those members choose to use their skills to protect their communities in their off time contends CLAC.
“We need to protect our brave full-time firefighters who also want to serve as volunteers,” said DeWaard. “This is the right thing to do and will help ensure that, when it comes to recruitment, there is a larger available pool of qualified and willing fire personnel for volunteer departments to recruit from.”
