With the recent firing of Coldstream fire chief Leo Lecavalier, a fellow retired comrade is appalled at the control the municipality has over the department. Former Lavington Fire Department chief Tony Metz says Lecavalier’s dismissal has hit not only the existing fire fighting community hard, but also the retired members. “It definitely doesn’t sit well with retired members and so forth with the democratic process of electing members into the hall,” said Metz, who served as chief of the Lavington department for 15 years. Lecavalier was dismissed from the Coldstream Fire Department by the District of Coldstream, effective Aug. 1. While the chief and all member positions in the volunteer hall are approved by council, Metz says the dismissal goes against the democracy of firefighters voting members and chiefs in. “That’s unheard of,” said Metz, who retired from his hall in 2003. “It kind of goes against the constitution.”Not only is the chief’s dismissal troubling, but the fact that Lecavalier can’t even serve as a regular member is absurd, said Metz.
But Coldstream Mayor Gary Corner says council has the same approval rights over chiefs as it does over department members. Which is why firefighters at the Coldstream department are saying very little over the situation, for fear of losing their own volunteer positions. “They want to stay here, they’ve been here for a long time,” said deputy chief Lawrie Skolrood. Aside from information passed down from Skolrood, firefighters say they have yet to see a member from council or a district staff member come to discuss the situation with them or explain their reasoning. Corner hasn’t been asked by firefighters to discuss Lecavalier’s firing with them, but he hasn’t ruled that possibility out. “I am quite willing if they want to, to meet with them.” However, Corner doesn’t foresee the municipality releasing any details on the issue to the public. “Any staff issues remain private to protect the actual employee.” Contrarily, Coun. Bill Firman feels the public should have some insight into the situation. “When I get back to council I’m going to make a motion in front of council to disclose how everyone voted (at the in-camera meeting to dismiss Lecavalier),” said Firman. Although that won’t be for awhile since council’s next scheduled meeting isn’t until Sept. 8.
Meanwhile, the Coldstream department of 25 members is trying to operate with the loss of their leader and taking on the extra workload. They do say that without Lecavalier, who knew the rules and routines, some firefighting operations are proving to be difficult. One such challenge includes finalizing the ordering of the hall’s two new trucks, something Lecavalier had been working on and knew what was needed, budgets and every detail of. The time and effort Lecavalier put into that project is just one example of his dedication to the department, said Metz. Having joined the department in 1972, when the Lavington hall first opened, Metz served alongside Lecavalier. “Since he’s been chief he’s one of the main reasons responsible for the training centre, he’s spent countless hours on programs for the training centre...”Metz adds, that as a chief, Lecavalier stood up for his department’s wishes. “The chief is a liaison person between your members and council. Right or wrong, you’re going to battle for what they want,” said Metz.Therefore when it comes to why Lecavalier was dismissed, Metz said it’s obviously not a case of the membership being unhappy with how the hall is being run.
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