The government has failed to meet at least one self-imposed hiring deadline, despite “fire season” starting 4 months ago.
The AUPE have a letter writing campaign calling out
- lack of “presumptive” cancer coverage that other firefighters get
- no health benefits coverage
- no pension
- a $22.44/hr starting wage ($5 less than BC), roughly equating to an annual salary of less than $50,000/yr.
In a detailed piece by The Narwhal, cuts to various aspects of Alberta firefighting (rangers, rappel crews, information officers, etc) are seen going back to at least 2019.