By Peter McIntyre
Coldstream's mayor says he'd be willing to meet with the District's firefighters to discuss the recent dismissal of the department's fire chief.
Leo Lecavalier was let go earlier this month, but the reasons have not been released publicly.
Mayor Gary Corner says District administrator Wendy Kay has already met with the firefighters who were upset by the firing.
"If they want to meet with me, I'd be quite willing to do it but really it is a staff issue. It's one of Wendy's employees as far as who looks after the staff."
Corner is not aware of the District receiving a number of letters from residents upset about the dismissal and says he hasn't received any phone calls about it.
Meantime, Corner says there's been some delays on Coldstream's new firehall, but it's expected to open sometime this month.
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The above report implies that Coldstream's Administrator actually met with the firemen regarding the firing of their chief.
This is false. I have made inquiries and my information is that she has not met with them. It is also interesting that the firemen have been cautioned about talking to anyone about these issues.
I was under the impression that we are living in a free country. The volunteer firemen are also taxpayers of Coldstream and they should be able to express their views on how the Municipality is governed. Those are basic Human Rights. Volunteer firefighters are not actual employees, they receive an honorarium for their volunteer services.
The Mayor considers this as being a staff issue. Volunteer firemen have a constitution approved by Council. It is possible that Council can fire a Chief but it is questionable wether they can fire a volunteer without cause.
These are issues that need to be aired. Mayor Corner said that he would be willing to meet with the District's firefighters. The Townhall meeting on August 21 at the Coldstream Woman's Institute Hall at 7:00PM would be an excellent opportunity for him to meet with the firefighters and with other Coldstream residents and inform them of the facts.
The firemen will be invited to the meeting. Invitation is also extended to all Councillors. We hope they'll come and meet with their constituents. Special invitation is extended to the Administrator so she could talk to her ultimate employers, the residents of Coldstream.
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