WHEREAS the implementation of 911 services has raised the expectation of citizens of the province that when a call is placed through the 911 call centre, an emergency service will be dispatched to assist them and since many rural municipalities depend on urban centres to supply emergency services such as fire and rescue;

WHEREAS in some case urban centres are demanding large standby fees from neighbouring rural municipalities for fire and rescue services, not based on service delivery or population but rather based on their own budgetary needs thus forcing small centres to make an ethical choice between supplying the services and balancing their budgets, which could lead to many areas being unable to supply fire and rescue services;

WHEREAS the majority of rescue services are required for highway collisions and often involve individuals who are passing through rural municipalities;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the Provincial Government to work to develop and regulate a province-wide system of fire and rescue services that is affordable, sustainable and available to all Saskatchewan citizens.

View response from the Ministry of Government Relations