Letter to the Editor
Editor,
I believe it is time to clarify much of the information that has been put forward by the Municipality of Meaford regarding the lnter-Township Fire Department (I.T.F.D.).
1. The service provided by the I.T.F.D. is every bit as good as that provided by the Meaford and District Fire Department if not better.
2. The I.T.F.D. provides exceptional training to the volunteer firefighters.
3. The I.T.F.D. does do home safety inspections.
4. The I.T.F.D. provides the Municipality of Meaford with the minutes of the board’s meetings in a timely manner.
Residents of the former Sydenham Township must be mindful of the fact that five members of our municipal council have strong ties to the former town of Meaford and are often not aware of, nor do they care, what the residents of Sydenham think.
Do you want the Municipality of Meaford to use up all the equity that the former Township of Sydenham have in the I.T.F.D. in order to pay a fee for service to the l.T.F.D.? What happens when that equity is all gone?
Do the residents of the former Sydenham Township realize that the Meaford and District Fire Department costs approximately $750,000 per year to which the whole municipality contributes? Do the residents of the former Sydenham Township realize that I.T.F.D. only cost about $200,000 last year?
Think about the fact your fire insurance rates are based on the distance you are away from the fire station and that down the road your fire service could well be from the Meaford and District Fire Department. Do you want that possibility to be contemplated by your council?
I did my research and I ask you to do yours. Talk to the acting chief of the I.T.F.D. and even the members of council of Georgian Bluffs. I did. Never ever believe everything you are told by the Municipality of Meaford. Always verify it. lt’s a principle I learned in my working life and it always served me well.
Stand up and let the council of the Municipality of Meaford what you think!
Dianne Charlton, Meaford
