BC Firefighter Suspension Sets Off Political Firestorm

The City Hall in Victoria, B.C., in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito

The one-day suspension of a Victoria, B.C., firefighter has sparked a political firestorm as provincial politicians say he shouldn’t have been disciplined for penning a letter to the premier about the homeless crisis, while municipal officials insist the commenting politicians don’t have all the facts.

The issue first came to light when the B.C. Conservative Party candidate for Victoria Beacon-Hill, Tim Thielmann, took to social media to say firefighter Josh Montgomery had been suspended without pay for writing an open letter to Premier David Eby in mid-July.

Thielmann called the suspension a “chilling retaliation” against a man “who risks his life to save ours.”

“In his letter, Mr. Montgomery asked the premier to suspend a proposed drug consumption site, which would service 300 unhoused people, just 100 feet from where his young daughters, ages 4 and 6, play outside his house,” Thielmann wrote.

Montgomery’s letter noted that Victoria firefighters now require a police escort to answer emergency calls near the city’s 900 block of Pandora Avenue, where a drug consumption site is currently located. It was there that a paramedic was recently attacked and first responders were swarmed by approximately 60 hostile street residents, the letter said.

The Victoria Fire Department has not confirmed if Montgomery’s suspension without pay was linked to his letter to the premier, and has not returned The Epoch Times’ requests for comment. But the union representing Montgomery, the Victoria Firefighters Association Local 730, has confirmed the Aug. 16 suspension was connected to the letter.

Premier and Mayor Speak Out

Thielmann questioned whether the suspension came at the request of Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto or the premier, but both have since said they had no involvement in the decision.

Eby said at an unrelated Aug. 16 press conference that he was unaware if the action was linked to the letter.

“If that’s the case, I think he should get his back pay back. I don’t think he should have been suspended. I think he should get an apology, I stand by that,” Eby said.

“It’s no disrespect to Mayor Alto. She’s running a large administration. Issues like this come up, but as premier I have to stand up for people that want to write and share information, otherwise I am not able to do my job.”

Alto, in a press conference to address the matter, said she had been unaware of the suspension until it was reported by the media, but was critical of the premier’s response to it.

“I am extremely disappointed that any provincial premier would feel it appropriate or necessary to make a comment on what is clearly an operational, personnel matter of a local government,” she told reporters Aug. 16. “Particularly, as I believe he has said, since he is not in complete possession of the facts.”

Alto declined to give details about the suspension or her reaction to Montgomery’s letter, although she said all individuals have a right to an opinion.

The Epoch Times contacted the city for additional comment on the suspension, but spokesperson Colleen Mycroft said the city was unable to provide any details.

“Mayor and council have no role in the operational decisions of the Victoria Fire Department,” she said in an email to The Epoch Times. “This is a personnel matter and the City won’t be commenting further.”

Letter of Concern

Montgomery’s open letter to Eby called the city’s plan to support a homeless outreach centre in Victoria’s North Park neighbourhood both “outrageous” and “reckless.”

“We, the residents, were not given a chance to voice our concerns,” the letter reads. “We, the residents, were not given a chance to hear why the City of Victoria believes relocating services for the drug-addicted and substance users into a residential neighbourhood with children playing next door is a choice that keeps people safe and protects citizens from harm.”

Mycroft confirmed that no community consultations have been held, but said the city has received a lot of feedback on the issue, both “positive and not so positive.”

Montgomery, in his letter, said the mayor “stated plainly” at a public meeting in July that the city decided against holding public consultations because it knew “our response would be one of firm opposition.”

“At that meeting, the Mayor also stated unequivocally that people would be consuming drugs on the site at 2155 Dowler, though the site is not an official consumption site,” he wrote.

The city of Victoria entered into a service agreement with SOLID Outreach Society to provide up to $1.8 million in annual operating funding for the new centre, according to a June 14 press release. It said the centre will “provide wrap-around community-based services to reduce the risk and impacts of homelessness.”

The city is also kicking in a one-time grant of $300,000 to help SOLID acquire the 5,264 square-foot property, which sits on the boundary of three neighbourhoods: North Park, Hillside Quadra, and Burnside.

“The property will be fenced and security will be provided by SOLID, who will work collaboratively with City Bylaw officers, VicPD, the Victoria Fire Department and City personnel to maintain a safe and clean site and to address any impacts on neighbouring properties,” the press release said. “The new facility requires some improvements and upgrades and is anticipated to open in the coming months.”