Champlain council unanimously approved the sole-source purchase of two 2025 Freightliner Fire Service pumper trucks at its Thursday, May 22 meeting. The trucks will be purchased for the Fire Department at a cost of approximately $1.5 million.
Staff informed council that two of the Fire Department’s pumper trucks are reaching 25 years of active service and require replacement.
Originally, staff explained the intent was to receive the new trucks in late 2025 or early 2026, with the production delays at the time estimated between 18 and 30 months.
Currently, markets are dealing with supply chain slowdowns, inflation, and global uncertainty—particularly related to United States tariffs. All of these have led to unpredictable estimated costs at final delivery, which could place taxpayers at risk for increased costs, specifically with more than 50 per cent of the vehicles originating from the United States.
Sole-source procurement allows the township to award a contract without a competitive bidding process.
Legal advice on the procurement was not available to council in time for the meeting.
To alleviate risks, staff recommended purchasing two in-stock pumper trucks from Carl Thibault Fire Trucks Inc. for $715,962 each, plus taxes, under an urgent procurement exemption.
The purchase will be funded through a combination of sources: $243,000 from Fire Department reserves, $257,000 from the municipality’s accumulated surplus, and the remaining $968,000 through a long-term loan.
In total, the estimated cost is $1,458,000, inclusive of 1.76 per cent non-refundable taxes.
The trucks are already built, pre-wired, and pre-plumbed to install the necessary additions required for the Fire Department. Additionally, staff said that there would be no risk of tariff implications and that as of May 22, savings could amount to approximately $50,000 per truck.
Staff said that sole-source procurement can raise concerns about fairness in the tender process and among stakeholders or vendors and that municipal staff emphasized that council needed to be confident that the urgent procurement timeline was justified.
Councillor Peter Barton acknowledged the high cost but emphasized the necessity due to global trade conditions, saying, “It’s a big amount to take on, but unfortunately, this is the case we face everywhere.”
Councillor Sarah Bigelow said that she felt the two-week public notice that will be issued is fair and would allow vendors and other concerned parties to submit objections and associated justifications.
With no further discussion, council passed the motion.