President’s Report – September 2025
Collective Agreement Amendments & Constitutional Amendments Form
OPFFA Secretary, Geoff Randall, has created a Collective Agreement Proposal and Constitutional Amendments Form for our members to submit these at anytime. The deadline for Collective Agreement Amendments is prior to the two-shift ratification meeting which should take place sometime in the Fall of 2027. Constitutional Amendments will have a deadline of January 15th, 2027. These forms will allow our members to submit suggested amendments as they arise. The forms can be found by clicking on the Info for Members tab and scrolling down to Contract & Constitutional Amendments where you find a link for each form.
Responses to Areas Without Hydrants
The first in apparatus can increase or decrease responding resources. Do not be afraid to request an additional pump if you feel rural tankers responding are coming from a distance or delayed. The Policy and Procedures Manual allows IC to request or release additional resources as required.
IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs
A total of seven OPFFA Retirees will be honoured at this year’s ceremony taking place on September 20th. Three families will be attending in person. Ottawa will also be hosting Canada House which is a tent area for Canadian families of LODDs to gather for food and drinks. We are hoping to cover the costs of hosting Canada House through donations and IAFF per capita funds allocated to this undertaking. Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of Fire Chiefs attending the IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial. Due to the current relationship between the OPFFA Executive Board and the Fire Services Management Team we have decided to invite Fire Chief Paul Hutt to attend. He has accepted our invitation and will be joining us in Colorado Springs.
Band and Bytown Museum dues
Just a reminder that if you are out of the workplace and not being paid by the Employer, they are not collecting money for the Band and Bytown Museum draws. Therefore, unless you make arrangements with those two organizations, you will not be included in draws that take place during the period you are not being paid by the Employer.
Workplace Accommodations
We would kindly ask that all members contact the Human Rights and Accommodations Committee should they be seeking a workplace accommodation. Some members have directly approached FSMT and/or Division/Platoon Chiefs which leaves the Association out of the loop and unable to advocate for you.
Sign Up Overtime
A meeting took place on August 27 to discuss the implementation of Sign Up Overtime. A ratification meeting will be held in mid-October. A survey will be circulated to get input from the membership from September 10 to September 19 (these dates are subject to change). Here is what we know so far.
- January 1stwould be the go live date.
- Overtime would be opportunity based.
- Opportunities would reset January 1stand July 1st.
- Hazmat and Safety Officers will also have to sign-up for OT.
- If you sign up and don’t take it you will still be assigned an opportunity. Therefore, if members sign up for OT when they are not available it will affect their OT offers.
- Members must sign up for 10-hour and 14-hour shifts separately.
- Hire date will no longer matters unless there is a tie in the number of opportunities received.
- Recruits will be added with no opportunities.
- No count will no longer be an available code.
- Members who are currently on OT and receive an OT offer will have it automatically accepted to avoid on duty for members having to use or check their phones during incidents. Members who are not on duty will have to accept the OT text or call to confirm.
- A member who has a last-minute emergency will have to notify the Platoon Office immediately. The file will then be sent to FSMT who will decide if the member’s opportunity should be removed.
Office Renovations and Clean-Up
The OPFFA Office located at 2378 Holly Lane, Suite 201 will be the location of our September 9th Association meeting. I would like to thank the Executive Board members for countless hours dedicated to the clean-up, set-up and reorganization. A special thank you goes out to member Rob Lang for painting the office.
2024 -2028 Collective Agreement
The Association and the Employer have exchanged several emails to finalize the language of the 2024 – 2028 Collective Agreement. We expect a final version to be available in the next few weeks.
Technician Pay (Tech Pay)
Members who do face piece fit testing, Holmatro equipment repairs, as well as hose or ladder maintenance receive 110% of first-class firefighter salary for hours worked as a technician. During the transition to eliminate the Lieutenant Rank, payroll mistakenly paid those members 117%. Technicians will continue to be paid at the rate of 117% of 1st Class Firefighter in effect on January 1, 2025. The rate will be frozen and will not be eligible for economic increases. This rate will remain in place up to and including December 31, 2026. Effective January 1, 2027, the rate for performing the duties associated with “Tech Pay” will be at the Maintenance Officer rate (110% of a first-class firefighter).
IAFF Active Retiree Dues
The IAFF has given notice, starting in 2027, they will no longer honour retirees at the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial unless they are paying Active Retiree Dues which is 50% of active dues. The Presidents of the four biggest locals in Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, and Hamilton) travelled to Chicago in June to meet IAFF General President Ed Kelly to discuss the matter. This meeting did not produce the outcome we were looking for. Canadian Locals will be bringing forward a motion at the 2026 IAFF Convention to continue to honour retirees.
Mediation with the Former Executive Director
Our legal team will be participating in a one-day mediation session with the former Executive Director’s legal team in November 2025. The Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program is designed to help people settle their cases early in the legal process to save time and money. The Mandatory Mediation Program applies in Toronto, Ottawa and Windsor. No further comment will be provided on this subject as this case is before the court.
2025 Fire Fighter Memorials
Ottawa Community Foundation Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial- September 5, 2025 (TBC)
Joe Charlebois
Michael Pope
Dennis Mould
Dennis Gobey
Canadian Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial – September 7 ,2025, Ottawa
James Donaldson
Dave Morgan
Joe Charlebois
Michael Pope
Dennis Mould
Dennis Gobey
IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial – September 20, 2025, Colorado Springs
Gille Crête
James Donaldson
Dave Morgan
Joe Charlebois
Michael Pope
Dennis Mould
Dennis Gobey
Ontario Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial – October 5, 2025, Toronto
Joe Charlebois
Michael Pope
Dennis Mould
Dennis Gobey
Outstanding Grievances
25001 Accommodation
24004 Acting While Being Accommodated
24001 Benefits for a member
18013 Adjudication Practices – Limiting Benefits
18006 Failure to Make Promotion to Captain
18003 Improper Work Assignment
Respectfully submitted,
David André