Local 920 Pushes Government for Improvements for Firefighters

The local is working on a number of initiatives at the provincial level on behalf of volunteers

Local 920 held its annual general meeting virtually in late May. The meeting was well attended with representatives from all municipalities that make up Local 920: Belleville, Quinte West, Midland, Sudbury, and Clarence Rockland.

Discussions were held and updates were given on a number of initiatives the local is working toward on behalf of volunteers at the provincial level.

1. Federal and Ontario provincial tax credit – We continue to lobby the minister of finance to propose an increase to the tax credit for volunteer firefighters.
2. Firefighter certification regulation – We are following this regulation and will advise members regarding its progress and what it means for them.
3. Section 21 committee – CLAC met with the Ministry of Labour regarding a seat on the Section 21 committee. This is a difficult task as the seats on this committee are written in the terms of reference, with four seats allocated to the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association and two seats to the Fire Fighters Association of Ontario. Our conversations with the ministry continue on this matter.
4. Mental health collaborative table – The Ontario Fire Marshal has created a mental health collaborative table to identify and support the mental health and workplace culture concerns for volunteers. CLAC is a member of this table.