Questions raised about plan to create Nova Scotia corps of emergency volunteers
A former fire chief says he has concerns about Nova Scotia's plan to create a volunteer corps of civilians to provide help during major emergencies.
Terry Canning, a director with the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia, told a legislative committee Tuesday that plans to establish the Nova Scotia Guard sound like a good idea, but he's worried the province is moving too fast.
"I have some serious and grave concerns that we might be jumping into something without considering all of the ramifications of it," he told the all-party committee. "But I think we can prevail and make something good come out of it."
Still, Canning says it remains unclear how the new body will affect shortages of resources during emergencies. "I think that's one of the $64,000 questions," he said.
Rod Nielsen, fire chief in Brookfield, N.S., was noncommittal when asked what impact the Nova Scotia Guard could have on the recruitment of volunteer firefighters. "Time will tell," said Nielsen, a former president of Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia. "There's so much unknown with the N.S. guard."
The government has promised consultations with interested groups and municipalities this summer, which Canning welcomed. "The possibilities that it presents are good for the province, and I'm hoping that we can work together and make it happen," he said.
In March, Premier Tim Houston said the Nova Scotia Guard was needed because climate change has led to more frequent and intense natural disasters, including increasingly dangerous and damaging floods, hurricanes and wildfires.
Paul Mason, executive director of the province's Emergency Management Office (EMO), told the committee that the emergency response model that has served Nova Scotia for decades needs an upgrade to deal with these increased risks. That's why the government is also creating a new Department of Emergency Management, which will replace the EMO and oversee the guard corps.
"The events of the past five years have made it abundantly clear that Nova Scotia can expect more frequent and intense hazards caused by climate change," Mason told the committee, adding that the province also has to worry about more cyberattacks and supply-chain disruptions.
A series of punishing thunderstorms dumped up to 250 millimetres of rain on parts of Nova Scotia during a 24-hour period last July, killing four people and damaging infrastructure across the province. And in May and June of last year, nearly 25,000 hectares of land was scorched by record wildfires that destroyed 200 homes and forced about 18,000 people from their homes.
In the past, the EMO's provincial co-ordination centre was activated for emergencies an average of once or twice a year, Mason said. Last year, it was activated nine times.
Mason said the Nova Scotia Guard will "better position us as a province to respond to these kind of things." And he pointed to similar "civilian workforces" being established in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
But some volunteer search and rescue organizations have pushed back against the plan, saying they weren't consulted about a new body of volunteers that could drain money and resources from existing volunteer groups.
Last month, Sherry Veinot, the president of the Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue Association, said it's not clear how the province's 23 volunteer search and rescue teams will fit with the Nova Scotia Guard. Veinot said the existing search and rescue groups need more funding to handle a rising number of natural disasters.
"There are still a lot of discussions that have to happen because we are still so new with this idea," Veinot said at the time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.