Rosemère, March 17, 2017 – The Labour Relations Tribunal has rejected the complaint filed by the Rosemère firefighters’ union (United Food and Commercial Workers Union, local 501), alleging that the Town of Rosemère contravened the Labour Code by violating their freedom of association and impeding their union activities. In its decision supporting the Town of Rosemère, the Tribunal noted that:

"In making its decision, Rosemère took into account the loss of Lorraine, the fiscal pact, the share of costs for regional services and its Fire Department’s budget. The Tribunal agrees that these are real and relevant reasons for the decision, which the Town of Rosemère is required to make, and therein lie the motives for its decision. As a bonus, overall safety services are enhanced, given permanent staffing (24/7) of the fire station, which reduces response time. Monies charged by Blainville also make it possible to achieve significant savings. As a result, Rosemère’s decision to close its fire department and opt for services provided by Blainville is both reasonable and rational."

It should be recalled that the towns of Rosemère and Blainville ratified an agreement for fire protection services in March 2016. This agreement, which calls for services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, makes it possible to achieve significant savings over the period covered by the agreement. This decision was taken in the best interests of taxpayers, both in terms of fire safety and the sound management of the public purse.

The Town of Rosemère has taken note of the Tribunal’s decision and hopes that it will put an end to the judicial process.

The Tribunal’s decision is available on this link: Decision of the Labour Relations Tribunal - Closing of the Town of Rosemère's Fire Department.