The firefighter’s former chief and comrade, Leo Lecavalier, has been invited back to the department as a volunteer member.
“I can re-join the fire department,” said Lecavalier, who was dismissed by the former Coldstream council Aug. 1.
The new council, under the leadership of Mayor Jim Garlick, has unanimously voted to invite Lecavalier back as a member.
That decision came on the same night the new council voted to dismiss Wendy Kay, chief administrative officer.
Garlick says there is no relation between the two, at least none that he can talk about.
“It was something we were moving towards on anyway,” said Garlick, who personally delivered a letter to Lecavalier with the news.
Lecavalier’s return may also evolve into a return to his former position after the fire hall’s annual general meeting, which includes the chief election, Jan. 9.
“This gives the members an opportunity to, if I run, re-elect me,” said Lecavalier. “Right now, I’m planning on putting my name back in.
“I think I owe that to the community and the members.”
Lecavalier says the news has been greeted warmly by the firefighters.
“The guys were just itching for me to come back.”
Deputy chief Lawrie Skolrood, who has been acting as chief during Lecavalier’s time away, says his return is unquestionably good news.
“There definitely was some jubilation, for sure,” said Skolrood, of the members’ reaction. “Everybody’s pleased that it is resolved.
“It’s a start, for sure.”
Both Garlick and Lecavalier agree that the next step is to work on council’s relationship with the fire department.
“There’s a lot of things that have to be resolved and worked out,” said Lecavalier. “You can’t do this to volunteers, treat them like this.”
He said a priority is looking at the future structure of the fire hall and maintaining a volunteer fire department as long as possible.
While he is optimistic about the future, Lecavalier is disappointed with the events of the situation.
“It’s sad that there’s been so many people hurt though this,” said Lecavalier, thanking the community, the firefighters, their families and his own family for all their support.
“If there’s a lesson for anybody here...treat people a little more respectfully.”
1 comment:
thankyou for the updates Gyula! Many of us aren't receiving our local paper in a timely fashion and so rely on you to keep us informed.
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