Armstrong Township is entering into an agreement with the provincial government that will help property owners in outlying townships with costs for fire response after a fire has occurred at their property.
At Armstrong Township's June 12 council meeting, chief administrative officer Dan Thibeault explained that property owners in unincorporated townships have been paying $100 for response from the Earlton Armstrong Township Fire Department, and residents of Thornloe and Hilliard have been paying $225.
"The province has now agreed to cover these costs," he said.
In a later email to The Speaker he stated that Armstrong "has an agreement with the Township of Hilliard and the Village of Thornloe from 2009 which set out that the Earlton Armstrong Fire Department provides coverage to these communities. This agreement outlines that these townships pay an annual per household fee similar to what it costs a household in Armstrong (2024 is $225 per household). This amount is invoiced to these municipalities directly and paid to Armstrong."
He continue that "in the unorganized Township of Beauchamp the Earlton Armstrong Fire Department provides coverage and it is up to each individual property owner to submit an application for coverage and pay the annual fee (2024: $100)."
He added that the fire department also responds to calls on highways, and the fire department receives a payment for their costs through the Ministry of Transportation.
"Now the province is allowing us to submit for costs when our fire department responds to the unorganized Township of Beauchamp and be paid a similar fee to responding to a highway call."
This new arrangement had been approved by the province in 2022, but Armstrong is now entering the agreement for two reasons, said Thibeault.
"The fire department recently responded to two fires in Beauchamp and we would like to recover our costs. The fire department bylaws are being reviewed and I have been working with the fire chief and deputy fire chief to ensure our policies meet their current needs."