Westman receives firefighting funds

The provincial government fast-tracked several firefighting projects across Westman on Thursday when it announced funding for nearly two dozen Manitoba communities.

Officials from the Town of Virden, the Municipality of Gilbert Plains and the Municipality of Hamiota — three of eight Westman communities receiving support — said their project timelines have been moved up to the near future thanks to the province’s announcement.

The Town of Virden received the biggest funding support in Westman at $1.5 million.

Mayor Tina Williams said the community has been setting aside money for roughly 15 years to remodel and expand the Wallace District Fire Station No. 1, but will now be able to break ground on the project this year.

“If we’d had to wait to come up with that, we would have been waiting another decade to have enough money,” Williams said. “This would not have been happening this year.”

Williams said the town will allocate more money in this year’s budget to bring the town’s share up to a 50-50 split on the total project cost of $3 million.

The partnership between the province and the town is important to note, she said.

“We were happy that the province takes the health and safety of our firefighters and our community as seriously as we do.”

The renovation will be significant and will introduce health and safety features that are missing from the current hall, station fire Chief Cory Nixon told the Sun. Currently, space is limited so that two fire trucks parked in the hall open their doors into each other, he said.

The Municipality of Gilbert Plains will receive $450,000 to purchase two pieces of firefighting equipment, said Reeve Jim Manchur.

One will be a side-by-side vehicle with a trailer that will be used to help tow water into off-road conditions and fight fires. The community will also be replacing a 30-year-old fire truck.

“Without this grant, we would really be struggling to find the money to make this work,” Manchur said.

Like the mayor of Virden, Manchur noted that the new equipment would help recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

“We got a good volunteer force, so it’s just to keep up the equipment so that we can continue to do what we need to do.”

The Municipality of Hamiota will receive $433,000 to cover half the cost of a new fire truck.

Reeve Randy Lints said the existing fire truck is reaching the end of its lifespan, adding that the community would not have the funds to cross the finish line without the provincial support.

“So this is very timely for us to be able to have the funding in place,” he said. “It would have taken a few more years, put it that way.”

Hamiota will split the cost of the project 50-50 with the province.

“It’ll probably be well over a year before we even get the truck (due to manufacturing time), but at least now having the funding, we can get in that queue,” he said. “Huge for us.”

Other Westman communities that will receive funding to support upgrades to their fire departments are: Ellice-Archie ($800,000), Norfolk-Treherne ($450,000), Russell-Binscarth ($343,992), Minnedosa ($197,213), Souris-Glenwood ($162,500).

In total, the province announced $11.4 million for 22 capital projects.

Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard, who made the announcement on Thursday, said the funding demonstrates the NDP government’s focus on public safety.

“By supporting municipalities in upgrading fire halls, acquiring modern fire trucks and improving preparedness, we are putting public safety first and ensuring firefighters can respond quickly and effectively when emergencies arise,” Simard, the MLA for Brandon East, said in a news release.

For more information about the remodelling of the Virden fire station, see Westman This Week on Feb. 5.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com