The Beaver Lake emergency services station has been permanently closed.
The building’s closure came after city managers met with volunteer firefighters on July 1 to let them know it was closing on July 4.
Its contentious closure aside, the union representing Greater Sudbury volunteer firefighters, Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), is raising alarms about the short notice members received regarding its closure.
“Outside of any media coverage, the July 1 meeting was the first time we had ever heard anything directly from our own employer that the Beaver Lake station would officially be closed,” Station 9 captain Doug Wyszynski said in a media release issued by CLAC on Thursday evening.
“I’ve never seen the city act so quickly on anything. ... To suddenly close a station within three days is extraordinary,” provincial representative Matthew Walchuk told Sudbury.com on Friday.
“It’s indicative of the poor relationship between management and firefighters.”
The building’s closure has been in the works for quite some time.
Originally slated to close last year as part of broader changes to emergency services infrastructure, city council members voted on June 27, 2023, to keep it open for at least another year — Longer, if enough volunteers signed up to “meet the average number of volunteers for all stations.” This vote came amid ongoing public advocacy to keep the station open.
The average number of volunteers at city fire stations is presently 11, which Beaver Lake’s latest total of seven falls short of. This includes two existing firefighters, three recruits in training and two new recruits applicants.
On June 25, city council members voted down a last-ditch effort by Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée and Ward 2 Coun. Eric Benoit to keep the station open for another year. As such, the city was cleared to shutter the station as early as June 27.
Although local media outlets such as Sudbury.com have been covering the Beaver Lake station’s potential closure for the past several months, Walchuk said the first meeting between volunteer firefighters and city staff was on July 1, when Chief Joseph Nicholls and Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell visited the station to let them know it was closing on July 4.
This short notice, Walchuk said, “It’s a bit insulting to members.”
The City of Greater Sudbury sent out a media release and a written response to Sudbury.com’s inquiry on Friday, which both came in reaction to CLAC issuing their own media release the previous evening.
Per city council-approved direction, the Beaver Lake station has been consolidated into Whitefish, whose station will continue serving the Beaver Lake area.
“Response to emergency calls in the area remains the same,” the city media release noted.
“Firefighters at Beaver Lake and Whitefish fire stations historically worked, trained and responded together. Although they operated out of two separate buildings, they were already dispatched to the same emergencies at the same time.”
“With the collaboration of the Whitefish and Beaver Lake firefighters, it took only a few hours to transition all gear and equipment to the Whitefish station,” according to the city’s statement.
“This consolidation provides a more reliable and robust staffing model and ensures a financially sustainable future for Greater Sudbury Fire Services. The service will continue to recruit volunteer firefighters in both Whitefish and Beaver Lake.”
During last month’s meeting, Nicholls said that residents won’t notice a change in service once the Beaver Lake station closes, since other stations have already been serving the area for the past several years due to low volunteerism in Beaver Lake. Only one or two members typically respond to calls out of the Beaver Lake station.
“It’s one thing to have tried everything and closed it despite your best efforts,” Walchuk said. “The employer has not done enough to support the recruitment issue, which led us to the conclusion that the station must be closed.”
While there’s relevance to Nicholl’s safety concerns regarding too few people responding out of the Beaver Lake station to make up a full response, Walchuk said that longer response times out of Whitefish now that Beaver Lake is permanently closed is also a safety concern.
In their media release, the city noted that former Beaver Lake volunteer firefighters may have the option to respond to incidents from home using their personal vehicles.