The debate over the closing of the Glen Alda fire hall has been subject to more than one smokescreen,

First, a letter to a resident from the CAO that the lack of demand was one reason for reducing the protection. That is like saying that nobody died today so we are closing the hospital.

Then a councillor armed with bad information tries to tell us that premiums and protection are not connected to the proximity of the fire service, when every underwriter and agent asks for exact distance data before setting the premium, or denying coverage.

The obvious responsibility lies at the feet of the Chief who has failed to recruit enough volunteers to replace the groups who quit en masse because the could not tolerate the over-seers the council was putting them under.

I was told that Mark Kemp, a former volunteer actually thanked and complimented the Chief for the actions in fighting the Shell Station fire. IN fact a pumper and the crew who knew how to use it came from Smith Township. I believe Mark’s gratitude was misplaced. Also why was Mike Watt fired without notice and without a grievance process?

The quality of municipal management is based on the quality and capability to provide essential services according to the law. When expenditures on political monuments overtakes prudence, we get the Fire Hall crisis, a failure to profitably market a Community Center, 3% wage increases at a time when other municipalities limit them to 1% or ZERO and a flurry of joyful shopping for township-paid Smart Phones. Then, by denying money to truly beautify Apsley, support town institutions, town events, mostly conveyed by mixed messages or retreats from undertakings given by the Township.

The “bubble effect” that is created when the same councillors are returned in successive terms leads to municipal management by a council mutually agreed that anything the Council does is the right thing, notwithstanding 88 people coming to Council to protest an action, only to be told they are not representative of the people to which the council should listen. Hello?

The “bubble” insulates councillor against outside criticism, and makes all that takes place inside the “bubble”, automatically the best thing.

North Kawartha is not getting the best management it is entitled to, considering what they spend and what they charge the tax-payer; Nepotism, cover-ups and the waging of personal vendettas has replaced deliberate prudent care and custody of the township interests.

Failure to adequately provide continuous fire protection should be put at the feet of the Chief, and not papered over by closing a facility and using weak and sometime false excuses to justify what borders upon, an illegal action.

Thank you

Merry Christmas to all