SOPFEU tries to reassure elected officials

SOPFEU tries to reassure elected officials

Quebec’s forest fire fighting agency, SOPFEU, tried to reassure the public and elected officials on the future of their base in Maniwaki during a press conference on September 24. After announcing that the general director would be deployed to Val d’Or, several elected officials in MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau expressed their displeasure. MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller had supported the neighbouring MRC in their efforts.

“We know that some SOPFEU workers live in MRC Pontiac and this decision is worrying,” she said (translated).

Stéphane Caron, a communications coordinator with SOPFEU, said that they are aware of the concerns and reiterated the commitments the organization made last spring concerning its economic contribution and the maintenance of jobs in the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau region.

SOPFEU reminded the elected officials of Vallée-de-la-Gatineau and its population of the firm commitments which were included in their 2021 Organizational Plan. This is in a way the contract binding SOPFEU to the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks. These commitments are as follows:

• No closure of bases;
• No layoffs resulting from the reorganization;
• No employee forced to relocate;
• Maintain, over the next few years, the same level of employment at the Maniwaki base (80 regular and seasonal employees);
• Continued use of Maniwaki airport for SOPFEU air operations;
• Maintenance of economic activities (local purchases, etc.) at the same level as in past years;
• Continued use of our auxiliary firefighters in the Outaouais, Lanaudière and Laurentides regions.

The full (French-language) interview with Caron is available here.