The Town of Tantramar is suggesting public safety has not been affected by the lack of firefighting staff in the Sackville fire department.
“Tantramar Fire Service is committed to upholding the high-quality service delivery that it has offered Tantramar residents since the incorporation of the municipality in 2023,” the town says in a media release issued this afternoon.
“This means when our residents require service, members will respond,” the release adds, noting that the town has two additional fire halls — a reference to the ones in Point de Bute and Dorchester — as well as mutual aid partners in nearby towns and cities.
The media release was issued after 12 more volunteer firefighters turned in their pagers on Monday bringing the active-duty roster down to 18, less than half of the full-strength complement of 43.
The release says Tantramar’s Chief Administrative Officer Jennifer Borne “has reached out to the 12 members and the remaining 18 Sackville Fire & Rescue members regarding the recent development.”
When Warktimes asked Communications Officer Jeremy McLaughlin whether either the CAO or Mayor Andrew Black would be available for an interview, he responded that “outside of the media release, there is no additional information at this time.”
Tantramar Town Council held a two-hour closed-door session yesterday to discuss the situation.
After the meeting ended, Mayor Black refused comment saying Warktimes should wait for today’s media release.
To read it, click here.
Council members are neither qualified nor positioned to manage issues of this nature directly. If they disagree with how the matter is being handled, they have a perfectly legitimate and appropriate tool at their disposal — they can replace the CAO. That’s the extent of their proper role here.
When you consider some of the highly charged, biased, and clearly conflicted statements that have come from certain councillors in the past on this very issue, and when they have been subject to the process, ( Debbie Wigggers Cowell ) it only reinforces why elected officials should remain removed from the operational handling of such matters.
Let the process work as intended.
“Don’t worry, we’re handing it. Everything is *fine*.”
Is town council kidding right now?
They REALLY don’t want to be elected in the upcoming election, do they?
Disgusting, disgraceful and dangerous, that’s what this is. Because sure, we have other departments to ‘rely’ on, but the added time for them to attend a scene puts lives and property at risk.
Clearly no one’s willing to make a decision on this – or if they are, somehow it HAS to be something so super secret squirrel that it’s hush-hush to us of Tantramar because… we can’t handle it? Be trusted? Be told the *truth*?
If short-staffing isn’t a problem, does that mean that we were previously overstaffed?
Inquiring minds wants to know!
I’ve been willing to give the Municipality the benefit of the doubt most of the time, mostly because I know that I don’t know what goes on behind their closed doors. However, between their non-stance on the gas plant, and their apparent willingness to risk the lives of our residents through their massive mismanaging of the current situation, I am beginning to think that perhaps we need a new CAO, fire chief, and Mayor. Heck, if none of the councillors is willing to stand up for our residents, maybe we need an entirely new Council. I know that there are times that things cannot be discussed publicly, but I find this non-statement of nothingness and their dead silence puzzling, frustrating, and frightening. Do you really care so little about our town?
Someone should tell the council that they are responsible for the government of the town not the CAO or the mayor. The CAO is the employee of council and can be fired and replaced by them. The mayor is elected separately and serves to chair council; he/she should only vote to break a tie vote. They should try to remain above debate. This council chooses to do otherwise. We may not even bother to have a council. Perhaps we should get rid of it and be run by a government-appointed CAO with a mayor who would offer a “no comment” every once in awhile. The fire department is a major problem and likely will not be solved in my lifetime. But, hey, I am really old and I only served on council for 13 years.
This whole council agreed and signed off stating that day to day operations of Tantramar are by staff and the CAO only.
It’s a violation of their own policy to get involved…
Tantramar Council’s role involves setting policy and direction, while the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Jennifer Borne, and municipal staff manage the day-to-day operations, implementing council decisions, overseeing daily services like parks, trails, and infrastructure, and handling personnel matters
This is just a cover-your-butt communication. The proof of “appropriately staffed” will be if fires are responded to appropriately. I read the referenced Workplace Harassment and Violence Policy and I imagine they will find no proof in an attempt to avoid responsibility. If it’s found there is no “by the policy violation”, the firefighters concerns STILL need to be addressed quickly. This cannot be allowed to continue and with strong leadership, it only takes a few clear actions to start righting the ship and gaining back trust of those affected. The same person responsible for the investigation and privy to the information is the same person who is supposed to he held accountable and responsible (THE CAO). This is a clear conflict of interest and leaves too much room for obscuring facts. We all see the practice of “sweeping things under the rug”. The Mayor needs to take more leadership and stop being led around by the nose by the CAO. Council needs to unify and fix this once and for all. Bruce Phiney and others have repeatedly expressed concern and requested the 2021 report. They receive Lip Service only and excuse after excuse. I’m glad voters have noticed and will be casting ballots in May demonstrating they are fed up with the dysfunction, wasteful spending of public funds, lack of transparency and accountability. The lack of expertise and leadership at the administration level and department head level is evident and has resulted in this current public safety crisis and complete erosion of public trust in the oversight of this municipality.
Y’all need this addressed immediately first of all.
This is the rotten little package you end up with when:
1. You elect your drinking buddy, your insurance agent, or the guy you’ve known since kindergarten — because “he’s one of us” apparently trumps competence on council.
2. You hand the keys to the city to someone who’s been cutting your hair (badly) since the Trudeau years — experience in clippers = experience in governance, right?
3. Half the damn council table is either related to, married to, or secretly __ with someone who works for the municipality, contracts with it, or stands to profit from every single decision.
4. The conflict-of-interest web is so thick and so obvious that nobody dares breathe a word — because hey, he’s a “good guy,” and good guys don’t have to follow rules.
5. When the mayor or councillor decides their own personal gut feeling outweighs what every stakeholder, resident, and taxpayer screams at them — like the hilarious Ladford Height allowance pubic meeting : literally everyone opposed it, the room was dead-set against it… and it sailed through anyway. Because maybe it was already decided in someone’s backyard barbecue months earlier.
Welcome to small-town democracy, where friendships are more powerful than bylaws, and taxpayers are just the suckers who keep paying for the insider club.
What’s been accomplished to make things better for you since this council was elected ?
We can do way better. The rules are clearly written how this all works.
If you don’t like the rules – change them
Because everyone on this council AGREED in WRITING things like this are to be handled by the CAO and staff.
I got 17 votes last election, I hope to get 18 this time.
Jailmaster Bill
“It’s a law and order town” M. Hickman
Protection is expensive
Everyone in the Tantramar Region should keep in mind the quality/access of Fire Services or the lack of could/can/ might affect what you pay for Home Insurance. No two Insurance Companies have exactly the same conditions when writing polices. All homers, renters and businesses owners of enlarged Tantramar Region, must also understand the loss of a large number of firefighters can/might make it difficult to provide expedient adequate services in an emergency or in numerous situations. Anyone who has fire insurance should be proactive and review their individual polices, person situation and take extra protective measurers for their assets rather than accept such statements as “No comment” or “All is well”. Remember, there is a possibility of another very dry summer in 2026
“Better safe than sorry”.