Finance committee  Yes, without a doubt.

Finance committee  In the building code process, when you submit a building code amendment or revision it typically goes through a series of reviews. It ends up in front of a standing committee. The standing committee ultimately will make a recommendation on whether or not it should be adopted. I

Finance committee  I'm supportive of anything that would improve the support for our men and women of the Canadian fire services. Certainly, in terms of the resilience that's lacking in the mental health field to help our firefighters deal with the stresses they encounter, it's really a very high p

Finance committee  It works quite well, and yes, absolutely, the majority of the fire service in Canada is based on volunteers. Volunteers are about 80% of the fire service. The way the population in Canada is dispersed, there are an awful lot of rural areas with smaller populations, and they just

Finance committee  Speaking in terms of the volunteers, that is by far the number one challenge, or barrier, if you will: attracting and retention of volunteers. This is not a job for the faint of heart. Quite frankly, it takes an awful lot of dedication and time. There is a constant turnover. I ca

Finance committee  It varies. I can talk about Edmonton briefly, based on my experience as chief there for the last nine years. We don't have a problem in attracting folks. We do have a diversity challenge, and we're addressing that through outreach. We're trying to create an awareness in the diver

Finance committee  Thank you, and good afternoon. My name is Ken Block, and it is indeed a privilege to speak to you today in my role as the president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. I also serve as the fire chief in Edmonton, Alberta, an internationally accredited fire service. I am j