Small town endangers its residents by laying off its firefighters

In the small town of Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Quebec, firefighters are being suspended and fired one after the other. For the past two weeks, the mayor’s office has been imposing sanctions on fire department workers, who argue that the safety of residents is at stake.

Relations between the municipality of Lanaudière and its volunteer and part-time firefighters, who are unionized with CUPE, had already been tense for some time. But the conflict exploded between November 28 and December 9.

According to the CUPE, it all started with a “consequentially heavy” decision by Mayor Audrey Boisjoly’s administration. On November 28, she suspended the first three firefighters and a lieutenant for reasons that the union considers trivial and abusive.

With four firefighters gone, only four others remained. The town was then forced to spend thousands of dollars on overtime and to subcontract another fire department to provide the minimum required protection.

“It would have been much less expensive and, above all, less dangerous to keep the firefighters targeted by these measures on the job,” said union advisor Maxime Valade.

To find solutions to this unhealthy climate, the union had asked the Ministry of Labour to mediate between the firefighters and the town. But this process was cancelled by the mayor’s office before it began.

As concern grew among residents, the municipal council was forced to call a special meeting on December 2. The firefighters seized the opportunity to question elected officials about the work environment and their refusal to cooperate. That’s when the axe fell.

In the middle of the council meeting, elected officials announced that two of the suspended firefighters were being fired. The dismissals were carried out without following proper procedures and with no reasons given. The firefighters ended the evening with a protest to demand their colleagues be reinstated.

A few days later, more sanctions followed. Two more firefighters, including the union president, were suspended without pay for seven days. The final count: two firefighters fired, four others suspended—out of a total workforce of eight. Only two firefighters remain on duty.

The union says the incidents cited as grounds for the latest suspensions took place in the presence of management, who said nothing. Mayor Boisjoly has acknowledged that the assistant fire chief was present during the alleged events.

Valade is stunned: “Firefighters expect their senior officers to take every measure to protect their health and safety, not to be severely punished after the fact! If there really was a health and safety issue at the time, it was the assistant chief’s responsibility to act and prevent it.”

The union says it will file legal challenges and is calling on elected officials to intervene. Meanwhile, the mayor’s office continues to spend significant sums to maintain a minimal level of fire protection. The situation is raising concerns about risks to the population as the conflict drags on.