Unless there are changes to Bill 148, Ontario's Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, the cost of providing firefighting services in communities such as Shuniah will skyrocket.
That has the township, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and other lobby groups pressing the provincial government for an exemption.
At issue is the bill's provision requiring three hours of pay for each day that workers are on call.
In the case of Shuniah's 26 volunteer firefighters, that would increase their annual compensation to $47,000, and cause the firefighting budget to balloon from $100,000 to $1.2 million.
Fire Chief Blair Arthur says that, currently, firefighters are paid when they are called to emergencies and when they are training or doing other work.
In an interview on Thursday, Arthur said "This was, I am sure, not really thought about...how it impacted municipalities" with volunteer fire services.
"If you were a volunteer firefighter it would be a great thing," he added, "but unfortunately the tax base has not been established to allow for full-time fire departments."
Shuniah CAO Paul Greenwood echoed Arthur's concerns, saying "We don't want this bill to have a negative impact on the protective services that we provide."
Greenwood said if Bill 148 is not changed, the township will have to pay each firefighter about $130 a day just for being on standby.
He noted that the legislation stands to have a similar impact across the province.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has asked that volunteer fire services be exempted from the requirement for a minimum of three-hours pay for being on call.
It told the government in a formal submission that "the rate of compensation provided to firefighters already recognizes the on-call component of the job."
