Editor's note: The Chief's weekly editorial reflects the official opinion of the newspaper.
There’s much to consider in the upcoming muni election, and it can be overwhelming for voters and candidates.
One issue that is a bit of a litmus test for council wannabes is our fire halls.
The tire fire that is local social media was all aglow recently over the supposed need for the next council to focus on a new fire hall — stat.
At last look, there were more than 30 comments on one thread, which put a lot of emphasis on the Tantalus fire hall where repairs are visible from the outside, making it look rather steampunk.
“Give the first responders a new hall before that old decrepit building falls on them,” wrote one keyboard pundit.
But here’s the thing, like much on social media free-for-all forums, this isn’t accurate.
Not to say we shouldn’t be concerned for our firefighters. Squamish’s International Association of Firefighters, local 2874 told The Chief its membership is concerned about the issue of the Tantalus hall.
But it isn’t about to fall down, people.
“All the exoskeleton that is on there is actually there to ensure it doesn’t fall, particularly in the event of an earthquake. So, it is actually more stable than probably the day it was built because, according to our engineers, it could withstand an earthquake now,” Mayor Patricia Heintzman said, adding the current council had contemplated updating the Tantalus hall further, but since it is currently stabilized, decided to leave it for now.
“Instead of spending two or three million on [further] fixing the current fire hall, we will keep it stabilized and do a really thoughtful, strategic way of thinking out where the next fire halls will go.”
What to do with the fire halls are major decisions the next council will have to make, Heintzman noted.
And it is a complex issue that should be looked at with an eye to decades into the future.
“We are probably going to have three fire halls at some point so where do those two go? When do you bring them on stream — when can your taxation afford them?… Is the Cheekye built out 50 per cent before you want one in Brackendale or is it 30 per cent? These are all pretty tough questions and really important financial and fire response questions. You don’t want to willy-nilly go and spend $2 million to fix this up and tear it down in five years,” Heintzman said.
Watch the candidates on this one.
Do they promise something new and shiny, without understanding the problem’s complexity or do they turn to the firefighters union, management, and the District to find out what is being done, can be done and needs to be done?
Campaign promises are easy compared with making informed decisions. These are the things that matter when the rubber hits the council road.
