Columbia Shuswap Regional District Staff will enter into a memorandum of agreement with Parks Canada to explore the feasibility of providing administrative and management services to the Field Fire Department.
With one exception, the board approved the MOU and giving staff access to up to $10,000 from the rural feasibility fund to explore the idea.
CSRD’s Team Leader of Protective Services Derek Sutherland explained that the Field Fire Department, which is located in in Yoho National Park, requires assistance with the day-to-day administration of its fire service.
In 2021 Parks Canada approached the regional district to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the feasibility of the CSRD’s involvement.
“The CSRD provides administrative services to 13 fire departments in eight service areas and is uniquely positioned to provide advice and support to Parks Canada on fire service delivery,” wrote Sutherland in his report to the board.
In 2022, conversations with Parks Canada began to explore a formal arrangement between the two entities where the CSRD would act as a contractor to Parks Canada for the provision of fire service management. In late 2022, Parks Canada presented the CSRD with an MOU to outline intentions to discuss the potential CSRD service delivery in good faith. (Intent is to recoup funds at some point)
Electoral Area A director Karen Cathcart said that while she was in favour of the MOU, she expressed the need for caution.
“I support this, but my concern is, here we have a federal-level and local government working together,” she said. “I just want to make sure Parks Canada is at the table.”
Other directors expressed their concerns and Chair Kevin Flynn deferred to Chief Administrative Officer John MacLean to explain how the regional district could ensure it would not end up being 100 percent financially responsible.
“The main concern is that within the Yoho National Park and Field, there is no traditional tax base,” MacLean said. “So it makes sense to make sure there capital funding is covered off for things like new trucks, building repair and replacement.”
While he and the board have no issue with a fee-for-service contract, they are concerned that the federal government might end the contract, much like the province did with the milfoil program, leaving the CSRD without funding.
“Like milfoil, once we start down this path, there is an expectation it will continue and we want to make sure higher levels of government are paying their share for the service,” MacLean said, noting Yoho Park residents and tourists will expect the regional district to continue the service.
Electoral Area E Director Rhona Martin asked if a formal arrangement would be a separate service, something Sutherland said would be explored in the feasibility study.
“In a perfect world, we would create a bylaw that the service would be paid for by the federal government, not through taxation,” he said.
Mayor Ron Oszust said he was looking forward to CSRD assuming service management of structural firefighting in Field but is opposed to including road rescue service beyond the town’s current service that ends at the boundary of Yoho National Park.
Sutherland said that because the Field Fire Department is located in a national park where the federal government is responsible for road rescue, it would be considered as part of the feasibility study.
“I struggle with that because the feds make clear road rescue is a provincial responsibility,” Oszust added. “This is going to be a fee-for-service contract and contracts end. I think this muddies the water to include road rescue when we have been very clear we don’t do road rescue.”
But Sutherland reiterated that road rescue in the area has been an issue and will be considered holistically as part of the feasibility study.
“We now have a municipal government working with a federal government to do a provincial job,” said Sutherland of the complex nature of the situation. “Road rescue has always been part of the service and clearly parks Canada wants to have some road rescue elements within their jurisdiction.”
While comments were appreciated, Flynn brought discussion to a close by saying it was time to leave the matter in the hands of staff to come back to the board when the feasibility study is completed.
Directors voted in favour of staff entering into the MOU, with Oszust opposed.
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