Does the current Firehall Plan that the Chair of the SSI Fire Improvement District (SSIFID) - Board of Trustees has tabled have the Ratepayers of Salt Spring Island needlessly committed to a 2 Bay, 11,500 Sq Ft Fire Hall at a cost of $20.6 Million?

This was brought up by a Fellow Ratepayer who is concerned about costs as well. If the Cumberland Fire Hall Plan was chosen, it immediately provides a cost saving of $4 Million to the Chair’s Plan. Here’s the interesting part, the reduction in debt financing on $4 Million over a 20 year amortization period saves Ratepayers approximately $4 Million. Total cost saving of ~$8 Million Dollars for Salt Spring Ratepayers. With the current inflation situation and the housing crisis, this not an insignificant cost saving that our Fire Board Chair refuses to acknowledge. Our Fire Hall is quickly garnering the dubious distinction of being the most costliest Rural - 2 Bay Firehall not only in BC but Canada and quite possibly North America.

We’ve discussed the attributes of the Cumberland Firehall at length in Parts 1 & 2. Here’s an interesting comment that popped up from the Minutes of the General Meeting on October 16, 2023 from a Fellow Trustee, which I didn’t hear at the time - “A Trustee advised that the Cumberland Fire Hall design does not meet the needs of our firefighters and community.”

I would like to politely disagree with my Fellow Trustee’s comment and suggest the Cumberland Design ticks all the boxes and then some for our Fire Fighters foremost and Ratepayers for the next 50 years:

1. 3 Bay - Award Winning Design.
2. Approximately 3500 Sq Ft larger.
3. 2 Bay Antique Fire Engine Museum incorporated.
4. And, the most salient point - $4 Million less costly then the Chair’s current proposal.

What’s on the Agenda for tonight’s Meeting. The Chair of the Fire Board after convincing Fellow Ratepayers that $13.7 Million is required for a relatively Small Firehall, is now coming back to the Community seeking funding for a New Stand Alone 2 Bay Fire Engine Museum via Donations from the Community. One word - Wow! Gutsy move in my opinion but our Chair has always impressed me that he feels he is indispensable to the Ratepayers of Salt Spring Island. Is it possible the next request is when he completes his 2 Bay Firehall vision, he then comes back to Ratepayers for Funding of a 3^rd Apparatus Bay (which will be roughed in) at the New Firehall Hall and request a Referendum for funding? Then the decommissioning of the Central Hall and New Satellite Hall up towards Channel Ridge to service the N/W and Southey Pt area and relieve those Ratepayers from potential onerous increases in fire insurance premiums as we go forward.

Graciously provided with a Budget of $13.7 Million. With the judicious use of funding, the Fire Board has the opportunity to resolve our Firehall Infrastructure for the next 50 years. A week ago Sunday I wrote our Chair of the Fire Board and my Fellow Trustees with a proposal to do just that, the copy below is slightly modified. No replies to date.

For the 45.7% of Ratepayers who took the time to Vote and to the 75% of that Group who Voted in favour (which equates to 34% of the Ratepayers who were eligible to Vote) of the $13.7 Million Budget. Hopefully it was with the unspoken instructions that your tax dollars would be spent wisely. For the 864 Ratepayers in the Group who Voted - NO (25%) and the overall 54.3% who decided not to Vote and go with the flow. Would we be correct in thinking that you would like your tax dollars spent wisely at this point in time in lieu of what has been disclosed?

If you have any comments or requests for your Fire Board Trustees you can email  -  trustees@saltspringfire.com

Tonight is the Monthly Meeting of the Fire Board 7:00PM at the Ganges Fire Hall or online at

MS Teams which seemed to work rather well at last month’s October Meeting.

Come join us, all are welcome to discuss the issues of our Community Fire Protection Area and the New Fire Hall build. Here’s the link to the Agenda and the MS Teams Video Link.

Disclaimer - I am a Fire Board Trustee, my opinions do not represent the Board of Trustees, Committees or the Salt Spring Fire Protection District, nor will I allow the inference that they do.

Letter to the Chair:

“All,

One thing that I've found very interesting as a New Trustee, our 3 rd Party Consultant is quite familiar with the lack of Oversight, specifically at the Islands Trust but just as important our Improvement District's - NSSWD and SSIFID. There's little or no oversight which was confirmed by the Inspector of Municipalities - Delegate. MLA Adam Olsen touched on this in the Legislature recently in a speech that was dedicated to Housing but touched on the lack of Governance on Salt Spring Island. It's impressive the amount of effort that has been spent on Strategic Planning but at the end of the day there's no oversight if it fails to be followed. It doesn't appear that the Planning of our Firehall’s for the next 50 years was part of a Strategic Study?

In the opinion of a number of concerned Residents/Ratepayers, Salt Spring has out grown Improvement Districts meant for smaller Communities, decades ago. This is spelled out in the Trustees Handbook for Improvement Districts - page 35.

When it comes to a Proper Governance Model and the cost savings, here's 2 examples. Respectfully, this is the part that our Positively NO - CRD Director fails to address when his sole argument is - "We Can't Afford To Maintain Our Road Infrastructure". It's simply a Red Herring and as we move forward with the intellect of our 4 New LCC Commissioners, they will expose these myths for the 17% of the Community that currently control the Vote when it comes to Governance.

Case in point, the Mayor and Council of Bowen Island when planning their New Fire Hall engaged the services of an Architectural Firm and had given specific instructions - a $3.2Mil Budget. The Firm came back with a set of drawings and an opinion of cost of $7.0Mil. The Mayor and Council after a year into the process made settlement with the Architectural Firm and moved on with a Firm that expressed an interest earlier and they completed their New 3 Bay – 10,000 Sq Ft Fire Hall in April of this year for $3.7Mil ($370/Sq Ft). Out of general interest I've asked to tour their New Hall between now and sometime in December. The Chief and Deputy Chief are extremely hospitable. Besides them as Full Time Firefighters the rest of the Firefighters are all straight Volunteers, most from the Construction Industry serving 4500 Residents/Ratepayers/Neighbours. Their Annual Budget for Fire Protection is $800,000.

Case 2 - Village of Cumberland - Mayor and Council allocated $4.2 Mil with a Public Approval Process which was interesting. They were adamant about the $4.2 Mil Budget and had a Fix Cost Contract the same as the Bowen Island. In the case of Cumberland Firehall there is still $200K worth of paving to done at the rear of the property. Compromises were made to honour and comply with the Budget. Their Annual Budget $1.2 Million.

At last months General Meeting I was surprised that a Tendered Fix Cost Budget wasn't presented for the scrutiny of the Board of Trustees. The idea of a piecemeal tendering process has got one of our local Project Manager's and a Former Contractor concerned. I'm on record as stating I'm concerned about costs going forward based on the Professional Advice from a Construction Cost Consultant that does this on a daily basis. In his opinion a Fix Cost Budget is the answer to the concerns that the Chair continues to express - 1. Interest Rates 2. Inflation. 3. Construction Financing that will definitely increase with the timeline of a piecemeal tendering process.

One thing missing is the cost of The Build. Why not mitigate that cost and the other 3 issues simply evaporate?

We are confident in the Professional Numbers to duplicate a Cumberland Clone to the requested Salt Spring Standard and have a facility that ticks all the boxes with a 3 Bay Hall and 2 Bay Antique Fire Engine Museum. Those numbers will stand up to scrutiny.

Decommission the Central Firehall.

If required build a Satellite Hall at Channel Ridge to serve the Community of the N/W and Southey Pt. who are in some cases paying a 25% Premium for being unprotected but within the 13Km distance of the New Firehall.

I'm getting feedback now from the Southey Point Community about their Fire Protection Status and while paying significant taxes, some are finding it difficult to find fire insurance and it usually comes with a significant premium. It doesn't have to be, there are Underwriters out there that will assume the risk and go 13Km without a premium increase. A lot of Ratepayers simply don't know that this exists. From the New Hall - 13Km covers everything up to the tip of Southey Pt. I believe there could be business case made for decommissioning Central Hall Facility and subsidize those affected by FUS's 8 Km Criteria. It could perhaps be cheaper than maintaining Central Hall and all that goes with it.

I need to confirm this with the Chief but what I've witnessed, it appears when a call comes in for the N/W Sunset Area and Southey Pt because Ganges is now Staffed Fulltime, the Engine is Dispatched from Hall 1. When the New Hall is built, being 1.8Km & 2 Mins away, Central Hall effectively becomes redundant. Especially with a 3 Bay - Cumberland Clone at Brinkworthy.

Our Fire Board Chair has firmly crossed arms in defiance and is basically stating no cost effective Firehall alternatives will be entertained on behalf of the Ratepayers of Salt Spring Island. This after failing to entertain a Motion penned by the Lawyer from Peroria, IL who is known as the Fire Lawyer and delves into responsibilities of Fire Board Trustees when comes to Ratepayers Tax Dollars – Wisely. It brings into question the whole issue of Fiduciary Duty to the Community Salt Spring Island and on man’s interpretation.

The alternatives to current trajectory of $12.6 Mil (and climbing) are interesting and very cost effective in comparison to the Chair’s position:

Costs to build the Cumberland Clone $6.85 Mil. Soft costs $1.85Mil. Total $8.7Mil.

Decommission Central. Proceeds from the Sale - showing a total tax assessment of $358K. Let's arbitrarily increase that to $700K.

New Rural 2 Bay Hall at Channel Ridge if deemed required - $1.2 Mil (recently built in Merville) plus land acquisition - $700K (again arbitrary) Total Cost $1.9Mil

Rough guess $9.9 Mil to resolve our Firehall Infrastructure potentially for the next 50 years. That leaves $3.8Mil remaining to pay down debt borrowing for the New Firehall. Comment from fellow Ratepayers - Awesome!

I think the one take away I keep hearing time and time again, time is money. In 2013 if we had of built the so called Taj, approximately 18,300 Sq Ft at $6.2 Mil, Central Hall would have been gone years ago, along with the costs associated.

For the consideration of the Board of Trustees.

Best Regards, David.”