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Fire dispatch remains hot item for counties
municipal counterparts on a review and plan for upgrading fire dispatch systems in Prescott-Russell. Leroux agreed to withdraw his resolu- tions to allow counties council to consider the Hawkesbury proposal. Counties council agreed to the request fromHawkesbury with several mayors askingMayor Charlebois how soon they and their councils can expect to see the new contract offer. “I would like to see a timeline,” saidMayor Robert Kirby of East Hawkesbury Township. “We’ll do our best,” said Charlebois. “Let’s give Mr. Parisien two months to see what he can do to turn this around,” said mayor Gary Barton of Champlain Township. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste.” It’s the latest in what has now become a long-running issue for Prescott-Russell municipalities over the future of their fire dispatch service. For years, Hawkesbury has provided the service for six of the eight communities in the UCPR as well as for the townships of North Stormont and North Glengarry. Those two are now switching to the City of Cornwall’s fire dispatch system. The fire dispatch contract between the six municipalities and Hawkesbury ends next February. The new proposal fromHawkes- bury would allow for at least a guaranteed 18-month extension of fire dispatch service for all sixmunicipalities, allowing time for a review of the current analog communication system.
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Hawkesbury town council has agreed to put together a committee to work out a new contract proposal for fire dispatch service, with six of its fellow communities in Prescott-Russell. Mayor Jeanne Charlebois announced her council’s decision during the Oct. 12 committee of the whole session in L’Orignal for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR). Hawkesbury council also agreed to ask that UCPR chief administrator Stéphane Parisien be available to act as a mediator/moderator over the negotiations between Hawkesbury and its fellow muni- cipalities if there are concerns about details in the new contract. “Everybody understands the urgency,” Charlebois said, adding that her council also realized that all the municipalities, which still contract with Hawkesbury for fire dis- patch, are “in budget mode” and trying to get their 2017 budget expenses worked out before the end of this year. Charlebois’ announcement followed right after Russell Townshipmayor Pierre Leroux presented a twin resolution proposal for the counties to assume responsibility, both financial and planning, for a new short-term fire dispatch contract with Hawkesbury to cover the entire Prescott-Russell region. Leroux’ resolution also proposed that the
Le maire de la municipalité de Russell, Pierre Leroux (à gauche) a proposé que les Comtés unis de Prescott-Russell partagent, avec la Ville de Hawkesbury, le fardeau financier du service de répartition des appels des incendies. Ceci aurait permis d’assurer le service pour l’ensemble desmunicipalités de Prescott-Russell le temps que les Comtés unis poursuivent leurs négociations avec la Ville d’Ottawa en vue d’une adhésion éventuelle des municipalités de Prescott-Russell au service d’Ottawa. M. Leroux a retiré sa proposition après que la mairesse de Hawkesbury, Jeanne Charlebois, eut demandé au conseil des CUPR de permettre à un nouveau comité consultatif de la Ville de préparer une nouvelle proposition en vue de prolonger le contrat. —photo Gregg Chamberlain
counties “assume financial responsibility for the fire dispatch costs of the City of Clarence- Rockland” until the counties can work out an agreement with the City of Ottawa for all the UCPR to become part of its municipal fire dispatch system. Clarence-Rockland is part of the Ottawa fire dispatch system since 2008 at a cost less than what other UCPR communities pay Hawkesbury for the service. That factor has
prompted the six communities still contrac- ting with Hawkesbury to seek their own deals with Ottawa. But the city has refused to consider anything except a single regional contract that includes all of Prescott-Russell. Ottawa also wants the existing fire dis- patch infrastructure setup for the UCPR reviewed and, if necessary, upgraded to a digital system. Leroux’s second resolution proposed that counties staff work with their
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