COMNEE—The Minister of the Solicitor General recently announced the launch of a program to reimburse municipalities that provide fire protection services. The new initiative through the Northern Fire Protection program will reimburse municipalities that provide protection services in parts of the province that do not fall under any municipal boundaries, known as unincorporated areas.
Through this program, the province of Ontario is allocating funds aimed at helping northern municipalities recover costs associated with response into areas without fire protection services such as search and rescue, medical, motor vehicle collision and property fires that are, otherwise, not covered by any other funding agreements.
“Northern municipal fire departments, many made up of volunteer firefighters, step up in a big way when they are called to help Ontarians in unincorporated areas,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “This new program will make it easier for municipalities to recoup costs associated with responding to emergency calls for assistance and ensure they are not paying out of pocket for their important efforts.”
Kevin Holland, Mayor of the Township of Conmee, reacted to this announcement. “As the long-serving mayor of a Township that borders an unincorporated municipality, I am pleased that the Ford government has responded to our concerns. This funding announcement will allow us to continue to offer emergency services support to the surrounding unincorporated areas, without placing an undue financial burden on our municipal taxpayers. We thank Premier Ford and Solicitor General Jones for their commitment to building partnerships at all levels of government.”
The government’s announcement also outlined the types of calls that are eligible for reimbursement which include:
• Structure fires and carbon monoxide-related incidents
• Search and rescue operations and emergency medical care
• Motor vehicle collisions occurring on roads that are not provincial highways
• Hazardous material requests
“We’ve heard from northern and rural municipalities, including at the ROMA conference earlier this year, that they need the province’s support to deliver these services in a financially sustainable way, and our government has listened,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This new funding will help municipal fire departments continue to help us keep Ontario safe, while also recovering their costs.”
This program is to be administered by the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal, which oversees the Northern Fire Protection program, that assists and supports fire protection services to 48 communities without municipal organization.
Jon Pegg, Fire Marshal Province of Ontario shared his thoughts about this announcement. "We are pleased to continue working with fire services in the north that enhance fire protection services and public safety in unincorporated areas. These departments demonstrate dedication to serving and protecting citizens across Ontario.”
“The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is grateful to the Ontario government for this new funding program. This investment will have a significant positive impact on all communities in Northern Ontario. This is an important step to ensure municipalities are not burdened with the costs of providing fire service to those outside of their municipal boundaries. We greatly appreciate every effort made to reduce the burden on municipal budgets and ensuring all people receive the services they need," stated, Wendy Landry President, NOMA, Mayor, Municipality of Shuniah.
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities represents and advocates on behalf of 110 cities, towns and municipalities in Northeastern Ontario. ROMA, the Rural Ontario Municipal Association represents municipalities across the province.
