MPP Arnott asks Government to protect Double Hatters or make funding permanent

Waterloo-Wellington MPP Ted Arnott is calling on the Government to either endorse his Bill 52 to protect Double Hatter fire fighters, or make the recently announced Ontario Fire Service Grant permanent. He raised the issue during Question Period with Minister of Community Safety Monte Kwinter on May 5th after attending the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs annual meeting earlier that week.

The Government announced the $30 million Ontario Fire Service Grant at the end of March. Under this one-time grant program, the funds are to be distributed this year only to municipalities’ fire departments to meet training needs and where appropriate, purchase new equipment.

Mr. Arnott asked the Minister why he ignored the Double Hatter issue in his speech to the fire chiefs at their annual meeting.

“During his remarks, he made absolutely no reference to the double-hatter problem: the professional, full-time firefighters who want to serve as volunteers in their home communities in their free time, but who are threatened with the loss of their livelihoods by their union if they do so. The minister took no questions from the floor, even though he knows very well the fire chiefs of Ontario need his help on this issue,” Mr. Arnott said in the House.

The Minister replied that with the $30 million Fire Service Grant he has: “…taken a lot of the pressure off the two-hatter issue.”

Mr. Arnott then asked the Minister to take further action to deal with the Double Hatter issue. “My second question is, if the minister is unwilling or unable to legislate protection for double-hatters or endorse my Bill 52, will he at least commit to this House that he will work to ensure that the fire service grant becomes a permanent annual funding program to support the public safety needs of the communities of the province of Ontario?” Mr. Arnott inquired.

The Minister was non-committal in his response.

“The Minister has demonstrated in the House that the Fire Service Grant he announced was designed to respond to the Double Hatter issue. I want to thank the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Fire Fighters Association of Ontario who represent volunteer firefighters for their continuing hard work in support of my Private Member’s Bill,” Mr. Arnott said afterwards.

“It will take much more than a one-time, one-year grant to solve this problem. I continue to maintain that the Government should defend the right of Double Hatters to volunteer,” he concluded.