| MPP
Arnott Takes Volunteer Fire Fighter Bill
to Minister in Question Period
Waterloo-Wellington MPP Ted Arnott directed a question
to the Minister of Public Safety and Security, Bob Runciman,
asking the Minister to support his Private Member’s
Bill 30, the Volunteer Fire Fighters Employment Protection
Act. Mr. Arnott raised his initiative during Question
Period in the Ontario Legislature on October 31, 2002,
and he will be continuing to fight for the passage of
Bill 30 into law. The following is the Hansard record
of that debate:
Mr
Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): My question is for
the Minister of Public Safety and Security. The minister
knows that my private member's Bill 30, the Volunteer
Firefighters Employment Protection Act, has received
the support of this House in principle, and passed second
reading on June 6.
Bill
30 protects double-hatter firefighters. Double-hatters
are usually full-time firefighters who work for a city
department, but also serve as volunteer firefighters
in their off-hours in their home communities. The professional
firefighters' union has been threatening these firefighters
with the loss of their full-time jobs if they refuse
to quit as volunteers. If they're forced to quit and
their expertise is lost, that loss would severely weaken
Ontario's volunteer forces and their ability to respond
to emergencies.
Bill
30 had public hearings before the standing committee
on justice and social policy this month. I heard strong
support there. In fact, of all the witnesses who made
presentations, only union representatives were opposed
to the bill. Last Wednesday, the committee chair reported
back to this House, and members of the opposition parties
voted against receiving back the amended bill. Had they
been successful, they would have killed Bill 30. I have
brought the solution to this problem forward as far
as I can, and now it is in the hands of the government.
My question to the minister is this: will he support
Bill 30?
Hon
Robert W. Runciman (Minister of Public Safety and Security):
I thank the member for the question. I want to take
this opportunity to congratulate the member from Waterloo-Wellington
on his outstanding work, in the finest tradition of
private members' initiatives in this assembly.
The
concern embodied in his legislation is a legitimate
concern held by many municipalities across this province,
and certainly amongst volunteer firefighters in Ontario,
many of whom are two-hatters who work as professional
firefighters and also volunteer in their home communities.
Early
on in my tenure of six months, I asked the fire marshal
to conduct consultations with all of the stakeholders
to see if we could arrive at a remedy at the table,
rather than looking at a legislative solution. Unfortunately,
that has not been achieved. I indicated some time ago
that if we cannot achieve a resolution through discussion,
through consultation, I am quite prepared to consider
a legislative solution.
Mr
Arnott: I appreciate the work that the minister is doing
and his understanding of the significance of this issue
for communities right across the province. I didn't
hear him say he supported the bill, but I'm hoping to
give him an opportunity in the supplementary to say
so.
Bill
30 has the strong support of the Fire Fighters Association
of Ontario, which represents the volunteer firefighters,
many of whom are here today in the gallery.
Applause.
Mr
Arnott: They do deserve our support and our appreciation.
The
Association of Municipalities of Ontario has written
each government MPP this week asking for support for
my bill. There is growing and broad-based support for
Bill 30, but time is of the essence because more double-hatters
are under pressure to resign. In an ominous threat,
the firefighters' union says it plans to phase out all
double-hatters, and on October 1 they lifted their moratorium
on charges against double-hatters for their volunteer
service, effectively declaring open season on the double-hatters.
Here
is what Ontario Fire Marshal Bernard Moyle had to say
about the union leadership's decision at the hearings
on Bill 30: "The sudden or phased-out withdrawal
of two-hatters from communities dependent on volunteer
fire departments could significantly impact on their
ability to provide an adequate level of fire protection
and may in some cases pose a potential serious threat
to public safety." The fire marshal went on to
explain how losing double-hatters would weaken the volunteer
forces, and he concluded that legislation to protect
them is needed.
Will
the minister protect public safety in Ontario by encouraging
the government to take a position in support of my bill,
and will he support having it called for third-reading
debate immediately?
Hon
Mr Runciman: I want to echo the member's comments with
respect to volunteers in this province. Volunteer firefighters
do an enormous job in so many communities across this
province, and are so important to many of us in this
assembly and in the constituencies we represent, including
mine.
What
the member is talking about I think is essentially a
House management issue. I have, as well as the member,
discussed this with the House leader. I think the member
also appreciates that I have a number of stakeholders
whose views I have to represent around the government
tables. I don't think it would be appropriate for me
to take a public position at this time.
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