At the December 4th meeting, Council voted to support a resolution submitted by the Council of the Municipality of Wawa to boost the volunteer firefighters’ tax credit as a tangible gesture of support for the volunteers who come to the aid of their communities in times of crisis.
Established in 2011, the a non-refundable tax credit is available to volunteer firefighters who completed at least 200 hours of eligible services in the tax year. The $3000 credit saves the volunteer about $450 per year, which proponents of the change argue does not cover the cost of travel to the emergencies to which they respond. The value of the credit has not changed since its introduction. Most volunteer firefighters receive some form of pay for being on call or for time spent responding to a call. Increasing this credit could boost their morale, their financial reward and hopefully their numbers.
Last year, Gord Johns, an MP from British Columbia, introduced a private members bill that would boost that credit to $10,000. The NDP and Canadian Fire Chiefs have been urging the government to boost the tax credit value to recognize the value of the services these volunteers provide. A 2022 survey concluded that there were roughly 90,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada, representing 71 per cent of all firefighter first responders in the country. It also indicated that there were roughly 15,000 firefighter positions vacant. This summer as wildfires spread in the west, there were renewed calls for support to help address the volunteer shortage crisis. When the bill was introduced, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) reported that estimated the cost of increasing the tax credit by the proposed amounts at $171 million over five years.
The Wawa resolution reiterates the importance of the service these volunteers provide. They put their lives on the line, as evidenced by the deaths of several firefighters this summer as they fought wildfires in BC and the North West Territories. It also reminds us that thousands of small communities like Cavan Monaghan rely on volunteer responders because they don’t have the resources to foot the bill for a paid contingent of first responders.
The resolution has been distributed to all Ontario municipalities. With a new Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Harjit Sajjan, perhaps the resolution will receive a more positive response than it did under the previous Minister, Bill Blair. In the meantime, Cavan Monaghan residents can take comfort in the fact that our community is served by a dedicated and professionally-trained group of more than 60 volunteer firefighters and make a New Year’s resolution to express that appreciation to them before you meet them in an emergency. KG
