Update April 7, 2026

As Trustee at both the SSIFID and the NSSWD, the term Trustee to me represents the “Trust” Ratepayers place upon you. To respect your Duty of Care and Fiduciary Duty to Ratepayers, among the other various duties. During my last 3 years at the Fire District, I've endeavoured to endorse Fiscal Responsibility, Integrity, Credibility and Respect for Transparency & Accountability.

In my 42 year career at the Airline, we operate on SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), Mitigating Risk and Safety Is Always Paramount. In much the same fashion our Professional Firefighters perform their duties on a daily basis here on island.

In the Campaign Material from the current Olde Guard Chair and Trustee, there has been no mention of same. I believe there’s a reason and it stems from the Campaign for the New Fire Hall Referendum, in the lead up to the Vote on June 30, 2022. The New Fire Hall was pitched by the current Chair as a modest, no frills, 2 Bay, 11,500 Sq Ft facility, at a cost per square foot of $1191 or $13.7 Million.

The question from a number of Ratepayers in this Campaign has been, where they mislead by the material facts of the Fire Hall Referendum of June 30, 2022? This in-lieu of the fact that 4 years on at a Price Tag of $13.7, we have a 3 Bay facility, approximately 16,500 Sq Ft Fire Hall, costing ~$830/Sq Ft. Does this lend credence that Ratepayers were indeed misled by the current Chair in the Referendum? Taking into consideration inflation over the last 4, does it not demonstrate how exaggerated the cost per square foot was at $1191 in May 2022. Remember the Campaign Slogan - “No New Taxes”. September 15, 2025 the Finance Committee Chair brought forward only one proposal for the $9.7 Mil Loan with a 25 year Amortization Period, so there would be “No New Taxes”. Meanwhile if the Committee had of presented a 20 year Amortization Period, it would have save Ratepayers ~ $1.38 Mil in overall interests costs. To put it into perspective, it would cost Ratepayers $12/Year to save ~$1.38Mil over a 20 year period.

On August 21, 2023 we tried to introduce a Plan B for Ratepayers - A Clone of the Village of Cumberland Fire Hall built in 2020/21. 3 Bay, 14,700 Sq Ft , 2 Smaller Bays intended for BC Ambulance, later turned into a 2 bay Antique Fire Engine Museum. Our’s is a single bay, standalone Museum for our Antique Fire Engine, built on a donation basis. The cost to duplicate the Cumberland Fire Hall was prepared by a Chartered Quantity Surveyor at $6.8 Mil and we added $1.9 Mill for contingencies, hose tower, etc and presented it in the Fall of 2023. $8.7 Mil worked out to $592/Sq Ft. We were told it was too big for one and didn’t meet our needs being a 3 Bay. Interesting. The Construction Manager on our current site built the Cumberland Fire Hall in 16 months, we are currently on month 46. Plan B kicked off the “Harassment in the Workplace” in my opinion and it went on for almost 2 years. It cost Ratepayers $36,000 in legal fees, for those who failed to observe the Code of Conduct Policy.

That said, the New Fire Hall will be an amazing facility for Our Firefighters but it’s not a modest, no frills facility as advertised in the lead up to the Referendum of June 30, 2022, far from it. Now, when the current Chair brought forward a proposal at last years AGM proposing that a modest Rural 2 Bay Fire Hall on Sunset Dr, to replace the soon to be redundant Central Fire Hall, would cost $1000 Per Sq Ft or $2.5Mil and a 5 year process to build. Does this give Ratepayers a reason to pause and ask serious questions about costs, in lieu of the previous Referendum? Meanwhile the Old Guard Chair and Trustee have left a gracious Donor of Land, at a strategic location on Sunset Dr, on hold for 27 months now. Meanwhile, 172 Ratepayers could have Fire Protection within in the 8 Km limit of a Fire Hall, thereby lowering their Fire Insurance Premiums.

See this link on the Golden Opportunity here.

It’s been an Honour to Serve the ~8400 Ratepayers of the Fire District over the last 3 years. I would sincerely appreciate your Vote and support for the next 3 years. My mission is to see the Sunset Fire Hall come to fruition in a timely and cost effective manner for all Ratepayers.

I support the 2 New Candidates - McClean & Martin.

Thank you, Trustee David Courtney.