Yellowknife firefighters critical of city hall's handling of public safety document
CBC
The Yellowknife Firefighters Association says the city is withholding key parts of an important public safety report, and that the redactions are indicative of a lack of transparency at City Hall.
"This is a serious concern. People have a right to know the details about something as important as how the city plans to keep them and their families safe from fires and other emergencies," Christian Bittrolff, president of the association, said in a media release on Thursday.
"Being denied the full report undermines our ability to advocate [for] public and firefighter safety."
The city commissioned public safety consulting firm David Mitchell and Associates Ltd. to produce a report on community hazards, and the specific risks relevant to the Yellowknife Fire Department. The report also reviews the Yellowknife Fire Department's operational capabilities.
The Fire Division Community Risk Assessment was given to the city in April 2022, but the copy that went to the fire department itself was heavily redacted. The city released a heavily redacted version to local media, as well.
The 143-page document offers a comprehensive examination of, among other things, various hazards in the city and the level of risk posed by those hazards, emergency preparedness, emergency response times, fire department staffing, training, equipment, and the interplay between the N.W.T. 911 and the city's dispatch centre.
The city says the report is part of a process to help it determine what the local risks are, and to develop a plan to reduce those risks deemed to be a high priority.
But with large portions of the report redacted, it's impossible for the public to get a complete picture of the risks in Yellowknife, and what should be done about them.
Bittrolff told CBC News that the content in the report that was left untouched is information that the firefighters or the city gave to the consultants — in other words, information the firefighters already have access to.
He said it appears that the useful stuff — anything that might be considered advice or recommendations — has been blacked out.
The redacted sections pertain to "core functions of our job," said Bittrolff: dispatch, water availability, training, and how the fire department allocates resources and responds to emergencies.
"The essence of the report has been redacted," he said.
Having access to that information, he added, would allow firefighters and the public to know where the gaps are in emergency preparedness, and would allow emergency services to work on addressing them.
The city didn't provide CBC News with an interview. In an emailed statement, Kerry Thistle, the city's director of economic development and strategy, said some information in the report is "sensitive," so instead of giving over the full report, the city gave the fire department an overview in the fall of 2022, and updated the department on next steps after that.
Officials from the London, Ont., and several neighbouring counties will push the Ford government for improved passenger rail service in the region when they meet with the Ontario government at a conference in Toronto this month.
A provincial court judge has issued a stern warning to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to “rethink their approach” when it comes to dealing with complaints of threats and harassment in intimate partner relationships.
Some provincial funding targeted to struggling rural hospitals in the northeast is a boon but some CEO’s say it falls short of keeping them afloat.
A Ukrainian family in Halifax says the federal government needs to provide answers to the thousands of Ukrainians who are now learning that it could be more than 50 years before their permanent residency applications are processed.
On a cold January morning, the owners of Yassou Souvlaki & Donair in Fredericton are busy heating up the kitchen, slicing vegetables and donair meat to prepare for their lunch-hour crowd.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the CN Police Service are investigating following a train collision overnight in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, Que.
Six months after being displaced to a long-term care facility hundreds of kilometres away from his family, Jimmy Spence is holding out hope his days as an evacuee are numbered.
Saskatchewan women ages 43 and older can now sign up for mammogram screening without a doctor’s referral as part of a phased approach to get the eligibility age down to 40 by June.
Some schools, health centres and provincial civil service offices delayed opening or closed for the day on Monday due to weather conditions.
As a seasonal parking ban comes into effect on Edmonton’s residential roads this week, one councillor is concerned about how the city’s failure to fund towing teams will play out on city streets.
Students in B.C.’s biggest districts are missing significantly more school in recent years, with absences having tripled in some places, an exclusive CBC News analysis has found.
An Essex resident has been charged following a dog attack in town.
Charles Snell says he recognizes the need for more housing to be built in Thunder Bay, Ont., but that it shouldn’t come at the cost of losing green space.