There is a new tool to fight fire, and Mariel Labreche, Chief of the Calvin Township Fire Department, is all for getting it green lit.
Bill C-310, if passed by the Feds, will increase the tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and recuse volunteers from $3,000 to $10,000. The private member’s bill, put forward by Gord Johns, an NDP MP representing Courtenay-Alberni, British Columbia, received a First Reading in the House on December 8th, 2022.
Since then, many municipalities, including Calvin Township, Bonfield, and Mattawa, have signed letters of support of the bill. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs is advocating for the changes, as is the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada.
“People don’t realize how little volunteer firefighters actually make for the time they put in,” Chief Labreche said, “we don’t even make minimum wage.” The increased tax credit would help keep more money in a volunteer’s pocket and offset some costs of the job.
The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs outline on their website that there are 90,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada, many of whom “receive some form of pay on call, an honorarium, or are given some funding to cover expenses.” The Association noted that around 30% cover expenses out of pocket.
“Increasing this tax credit would allow these essential volunteers to keep more of their hard-earned money,” the Association added, and the bill, if passed, “would also help retain these volunteers in a time when volunteerism is decreasing.”
Chief Labreche agreed. “Firefighters don’t go in for the financial gain, but it’s a good way to retain volunteers, because retention is a huge issue at this point for many departments.” She would know, as she’s served the fire department for 26 years, and besides being Chief for Calvin Township, is Deputy Chief for Papineau-Cameron Township’s volunteer fire department.
She noted that those two fire departments, and Mattawa’s, are all fishing in the same pool for volunteers, and resources can be a little thin. Currently, Papineau-Cameron has 14 volunteer firefighters and Calvin has 15 volunteers – although it is budgeted for 17. The budget for those Calvin volunteers is $40,000, just over $2,300 per firefighter. After all the training and the calls out, “they make approximately $11 an hour,” the Chief said.
Any tax relief would help “for the simple reason that you make very little.” Firefighting “becomes a lifestyle,” Chief Labreche said. “It’s a huge undertaking.” Beside their regular duties, firefighters also put much time into community events, like Halloween and Christmas activities, or showing up to schools.
“That’s what the fire department does, it involves the whole community,” Chief Labreche said. “We are the heart of the community.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
