Eliminate division at city hall

Dear Editor,

I am writing to applaud your editorial entitled “On the same side” in your August 15, 2018 edition, and to offer some ideas that would build on your comments.

First of all, I wish to indicate that following comments are bang on and represent the true challenges facing our city.

You wrote, “The next 10 years for Oshawa are going to prove pivotal in terms of population growth. This growth will put pressure on the city’s infrastructure, resources, and services. Making sure that these services can keep up with the growth is crucial, and nowhere is that fact more critical than when it comes to the city’s emergency services.”

These challenges will not be met and overcome if the senior staff and council continue to see our professional firefighters and their representatives as the “opposition” and refuse to give them a meaningful role in future plans and priorities.

The men and women of our Oshawa Fire Department who put their lives at risk saving our property and our lives deserve to be treated with respect and their service should be honoured, not dismissed. Those who daily suppress fires and educate the public know full well the wide range of challenges and issues that impact their safety and that of the wider community.

It is indefensible that they are rejected at every turn and that their representatives in the association were blocked by fabricated rules from speaking to the council as a whole. In my over 20 years on council, I never saw such a blatant disregard for our firefighters as was imposed by this current council.

Rather than blocking access, we need council to establish a permanent vehicle to allow for open, transparent and accountable discussion on fire service issues. The city has already established advisory committees on the environment and accessibility, is it not time to establish a “Fire Services Advisory Committee” to provide input and comment on how best to protect the citizens of Oshawa.

It would be my view that this advisory committee be comprised of members of the public, representatives of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the Fire Chief (or designate) and a member or members of city council. The advisory body should meet regularly and report directly back to city council.

Council can no longer view its citizens or its firefighters as the opposition but must bring them into the Oshawa team. We need councillors who are committed to this goal.

Yours in service,

Brian Nicholson

Candidate for Regional and City Councillor, ward 5