105th Annual Convention - Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities ...

that all benefits available to full-time, active members of an urban fire department are also provided
to volunteer firefighters.
Background
This resolution exactly mirrors the Emergent Resolution sent to the SARM Convention in March 2008
by the R.M. of Caron No.162.
The Volunteer Fire Chief of the R.M. of Caron passed away during the course of employment
(command post in fighting a fire) in January 2008. The WCB initially declined his spouse’s application
for WCB coverage on the following grounds:
The WCB policy applies to full time active members of an urban fire department.
The Fire Chief did not encounter any unusual physical exertion or strain nor was he exposed to any
acute stress during this call.
After a great deal of lobbying by the R.M. of Caron and SARM, this decision was overturned and
coverage was granted.
The Town of Kindersley Fire & Rescue Department expressed concerns to town council and
administration in fall 2008 about the precedent set by this initial WCB ruling. Ron Hope, Kindersley
Fire Chief, is a member of the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs (SAFC), an organization that
has also identified these concerns.
The Town investigated this further with the Saskatchewan Workers Compensation Board to determine
coverage. There are many “grey” areas.
It is the position of the Town of Kindersley and the Kindersley Fire & Rescue Department that volunteer
firefighters provide valuable service to their communities, and are exposed to stress during every call,
regardless of the position they hold during that incident. All of our volunteer firefighters are paged
on every call, at any time of the day or night. They do not work shift work. They are highly trained
to respond, however, they are exposed to many different types of incidents, including motor vehicle
accidents.
It is recommended that all WCB policies related to full time active members of an urban fire department
be expanded to include volunteer firefighters.
7. Requirement to Register All Terrain Vehicles
City of Melville
Whereas The All Terrain Vehicles Act does not require owners of All Terrain Vehicles to obtain a
certificate of registration or registration permit; and
Whereas without any highly visible identification, it is extremely difficult for municipal personnel and/
or the RCMP to identify the owner of an All Terrain Vehicle; and
Whereas other provinces such as, the Province of Manitoba require owners of All Terrain Vehicles
to obtain a certificate of registration and mount it on the All Terrain Vehicle so that is it highly visible;
Therefore be it resolved that the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association request the
Government of Saskatchewan amend The All Terrain Vehicles Act to require All Terrain Vehicle
operators to obtain a certificate of registration or registration permit.
Background
At recent Police Commission meetings held at the City of Melville concerns were raised regarding use
of ATVs within city limits and causing property damage. The RCMP noted that it is extremely difficult to
determine the owner of an ATV due to the fact that it has no license plate as it is not required as per The All
Terrain Vehicles Act. With a license plate, an owner of an ATV can be identified and charged accordingly.
The Police Commission made a recommendation to City Council to adopt a bylaw to ban the use of ATVs
within the City of Melville. To date, this bylaw has not been adopted by the City of Melville.
Resolutions
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