STRAIT AREA: Richmond County and Port Hawkesbury have reached a 10-year deal for fire protection services in Point Tupper.
According to a joint press release issued last week by the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the Municipality of the County of Richmond, the deal includes a $60,000 per year fee – with an increase of $1,000 annually – for the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department’s coverage of Point Tupper.
Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette told The Reporter the municipality had to work to find middle ground but is confident this is a fair deal for everyone.
“It will increase by $1,000 per year – so by year 10, the payment will be $69,000,” Mombourquette said. “Over the 10-year period, we will be paying the town $654,000 for fire protection in Point Tupper. There is great value in extending this to a 10-year term; it creates certainty and predictability for residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the Point Tupper area, as well as for both municipalities.”
Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton said the town made the concession that the agreement would not include capital contributions.
“The proposal we received from Richmond Council was very close to what we proposed in the past with an assessment based sharing concept with regard to the actual hard costs of running the fire department over a 12-month period spread or shared over the two coverage areas,” she explained. “This current 10-year agreement doesn’t include any capital purchase sharing; it is more or less grounded in the service-based costs. So rather than being treated as a ‘sharing’ of services, it’s now closer to a ‘selling’ of services, with capital requirements being the responsibility of the town.”
While looking at agreements between other municipalities in similar scenarios, the mayor said they learned that capital isn’t typically part of fire service agreements.
“The funding agreement is supported by the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department, and it will be used to assist with the hard costs of yearly operations (minus capital),” Chisholm-Beaton noted. “There will, of course, be training requirements critical to providing industrial fire services protection – it can assist in those costs too.”
According to the press release, both councils investigated a wide variety of options, consulted with industry partners and talked to municipalities across the province.
While it was invaluable research, the town and county said the situation in Point Tupper is unique given the existing highway connections, geographical locations of departments in Port Hawkesbury and Richmond County, as well as the mix of industrial, commercial and residential customers.
“In general, it makes a lot of sense to utilize this fire department to provide coverage to both the town and Point Tupper because of both (the) close proximity to Point Tupper and the larger fire department volunteer base,” Chisholm-Beaton stated. “Having a financial escalator built in to the annual contribution is important because we all know costs go up over time and this will help to offset the increasing cost of running the fire department over the next 10 years.”
The press release said because Point Tupper industries have a positive impact on the entire region and the province, all parties felt a responsibility to protect and promote those assets. Specifically, the town and county noted that the Point Tupper Heavy Industrial Park is a high value location for new business development and the expansion and diversification of existing businesses.
Mombourquette noted in the press release that the goal for both parties was to find a fair solution that prioritizes the safety of businesses and residents in Point Tupper, that promotes business growth and development, and will be financially sustainable now and in the future.
“The Louisdale Volunteer Fire Department stepped up to provide fire protection to Point Tupper in the past, and we’re deeply grateful for their service,” the warden said. “Going forward, we’re very pleased to have been able to find a solution that works for all parties beginning on April 1 and continuing for the next decade.”
Chisholm-Beaton said successful negotiations were the result of open and positive communication with councils and senior staff, but added that this could not have been possible without the support of the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department.