Ontario boosts its forest fire budget but leaves key fire ranger pleas unanswered

When fire rangers and the union that represents them heard Ontario's natural resources and forestry minister Graydon Smith would fly 700 kilometres north to make an announcement on forest fire funding in Timmins, they gathered at the airport. 

But they weren't let in. 

Inside, Smith announced the province would spend an additional $20.5 million over three years to fight wildfires. 

He said the money will be used to buy drones, recruit and train staff, and enter research agreements with universities. 

When the news reached fire crew leader Noah Freedman in Sioux Lookout, it made him bitter.

"It's a joke. It's actually quite offensive. 

"Investing into what they called modernization, things like drones, is incredibly disrespectful because, in my eight years of experience, I can tell you that people fight fires and protect communities, not drones," he said. 

Ministry doesn't address the issue of reclassification

Freedman and his colleagues were hoping Minister Smith would address their main request, which is to have their profession reclassified. 

Fire rangers currently make between $22 and $29 an hour. That amounts to about $17,000 per fire fighting season. Most positions are contract-based, with no possibilities of year-round or permanent work.

The public service union that represents them, OPSEU, says the salary does not accurately reflect the skills needed to fight fires, or adequately compensate workers for the dangerous conditions they work in. 

They say these wages are hurting retention and recruitment. 

There were several crews missing on the front line this summer while over 700 wildfires raged in Ontario.

When asked about reclassification during the announcement, Smith said he had his hands tied. 

"The collective agreement really is managed through the Treasury Board side, so these conversations will continue there," he said. 

Smith did say the added funding would be used to reimburse fire rangers for training related expenses. He also added that the question of on-call pay would be reviewed by the ministry. 

"Labour challenges are not specific to this particular job. They happen in all sectors throughout Ontario right now," he said. 

But Freedman, who is also the vice-president of OPSEU Local 703, says inaction on this file will have dire consequences. 

He says that almost all the new recruits are young university students who don't have a lot of experience fighting wildfires.

"We had many incidents in Ontario this summer that were absolutely preventable with more experience," he said. 

Freedman says many experienced fire rangers are leaving the profession because of the pay, the health hazards, and the difficulties tied to being away from home six months at a time.

Now in his eighth year, Freedman says he keeps fighting wildfires "out of a sense of duty." He intends to stay on for a little longer to "train the next generation of firefighters." 

But he worries about that next generation of fire rangers.

"They're just trying to pay for the university education. They don't have any experience doing what they're doing and won't stick around long enough to learn how to do it properly because the money is just is not livable."