Worthington, ON – In preparation for the possible acceptance by Greater Sudbury City Council on the proposed Fire Services Optimization Plan (Plan), members of the Beaver Lake community are preparing contingency plans to ensure that their essential service of fire protection is maintained.
The proposed Plan, to be voted on by City Council on April 26th, would close the Beaver Lake Fire Station, and suggests that the next closest fire station in Whitefish would service the area. This would result in response times of more than 20 minutes to this area, and leave the residents and motorists along highway 17 at severe risk with respect to personal injury and property damage. The Plan, based on skewed data and presented as facts is misleading, and has basically dropped all requirements for adequate response times to rural locations within Greater Sudbury. It is evident in the Plan that the safety of the residents in the area was not considered a priority. The local citizens are losing this essential fire service, despite having to pay the same level of taxes as the remainder of the City.
The risk to life and property, along with the increased cost in taxes and insurance is not an acceptable option for the Beaver Lake Community. Constituents are presently developing plans to maintain an acceptable level of service for the area which include launching a class action lawsuit against the Greater City of Sudbury should this Plan be implemented by Council.
More information and details will be released during a press conference to be held at the Traveller’s Information Centre, located on Highway 17 West, in Worthington, Ontario at 10 AM on Saturday, April 22nd.
More information on the press conference can be obtained by contacting:
Mr. Jules Lalonde
(705) 561-4899
