ATHABASCA – Athabasca County will have funding to continue the Highway 63 road rescue service for at least one more year, although the future of the projects remains uncertain.
During their July 27 meeting, Athabasca County councillors voted 7-1 — Coun. Gary Cromwell was opposed, and Coun. Kelly Chamzuk was absent — in favour of authorizing administration to enter into a one-year agreement with Trans-Care Rescue Ltd. for road rescue services.
“Though I appreciate the fact that it is only a year, I think the appropriate thing to do would be to put it out to tender,” said Cromwell during the discussion. “I think we are responsible for being appropriate and fair, and we could always save costs on the project.”
In a June 26 letter, Municipal Affairs minister Ric McIver wrote that “while we do not believe that the current provincial funding model is appropriate for the long-term, I am approving $360,000 from the Alberta Community Partnership Strategic Initiatives to support the service for one additional year.”
County interim CAO Pat Vincent said discussions are currently underway to find a more stable long-term plan for the program as according to him, the municipality isn’t putting out a tender for the project due to the time frame. And given the last-minute nature of the request, many felt it would be unlikely for a different company to go through all the trouble for a short-term gain.
“We were anticipating that we would go out for a request for proposal (RFP) if we got the expected five years. Expecting a company that isn’t Trans-Care to make a commitment for one year seems unrealistic,” said Vincent. “Once we’re aware of the long-term, I think we can put a provision into place that will cancel the contract.”
The contract with Trans-Care was originally set to expire Aug. 30, 2023, the same day that provincial funding was set to end. Trans-Care, a Saskatchewan-based company that specializes in training and rescue equipment supply, originally won a two-year contract in 2021 to cover the highway from Kilometre 20 to 142.
“Highway 63 rescue is an essential service that we provide in our community, and I think we have a duty to enter into a one-year agreement due to the timelines and funding,” said Coun. Ashtin Anderson. “In the future we can work with the provincial government and try to advocate for earlier funding so we can have that competitive bidding process.”
In an Aug. 4 follow up interview, reeve Brian Hall touched on the real benefit that the funding provides as it frees up firefighters to do their jobs, and leaves the sometimes tricky process of vehicle rescue to the professionals.
“It takes that difficult work out of the hands of our volunteer firefighters,” said Hall. “That volume has historically been quite high, and it creates burnout.”
Beyond the local community, the funding also benefits travellers, said Hall as anyone going up to Fort McMurray is aided by having a professional service in place.
“With the assistance of the fire department with traffic control or anything else, it provides the travelling public that service when they’re moving through the county.”
