A municipal proposal to expedite the closure of three volunteer fire stations has drawn the ire of the firefighters’ union.
The proposal calls for fire stations in Copper Cliff, Val Caron and Falconbridge to close by the end of next month.
“Meaningful engagement with the union and volunteers was not considered when this decision was made,” Garson chief union steward Brian Weight said in a media release issued by CLAC.
“That the business case shows savings of only $73,833 for three entire volunteer fire stations combined simply goes to show just how cost effective the volunteer fire service is.”
The “decision” in question is far from a done deal, as it’s merely a proposal city staff presented to city council to consider including in next month’s 2025 budget deliberations.
City council members requested options for lowering the tax levy below its current 4.7 per cent, and city staff presented them with three business cases. In addition to expediting three fire hall closures, they proposed closing the I.J. Coady Memorial Arena and ending the driveway entrance culvert subsidy.
Any of these business cases will only be considered during budget discussions if a member of city council chooses to champion them.
The three fire halls are all slated to close as part of the city’s $164.6-million emergency services revitalization plan, but not until after council-approved infrastructure work is completed.
To accommodate the closure of Copper Cliff, a new Lively station is slated to be built ($15.1 million), which would consolidate the existing Waters, Lively and Copper Cliff stations.
The Val Caron station’s closure and consolidation with Val Therese would come after $17.3 million in renovations to Val Therese, and the Falconbridge station’s closure would include its consolidation with Garson when a new $11.8-million Garson station opens.
The proposal presented by city administrators would see the Copper Cliff, Val Caron and Falconbridge stations close next month, prior to any infrastructure work being completed.
The expedited closures would save the city $73,833 annually in snow removal, insurance, building maintenance and utilities, plus reduce the city’s fleet by two pumpers and one tanker. The city would also sell off the closed fire station properties as soon as possible.
“An expedited consolidation would be within existing stations and infrastructure, with future development to occur in line with the approved station revitalization,” according to the business case.
“This early consolidation will help to reduce operating costs, but does not resolve any requirements to address the health and safety, space, or other operational concerns through new builds or station renovations which were approved by council, and will need to be addressed in the future.”
“The Fire Services’ management team has, once again, chosen to ignore the union and volunteer firefighters,” CLAC representative Matt Walchuk said in a media release.
“They chose not to consult the members on a decision that will have a drastic impact to the delivery of fire services across this community.”
It’s of particular concern, he added, that this proposal has taken place during collective bargaining.
In their release, CLAC pledged to challenge the expedited station closure.
It remains to be seen whether this challenge is needed, as it will depend on whether any members of city council champion the proposal during next month’s budget talks.
Budget deliberations will take place in council chambers at Tom Davies Square beginning at 1 p.m. on Dec. 2. The meeting can be viewed in-person or livestreamed by clicking here. The meeting will continue at the same time and location for the following two days, as needed.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
