Mount Uniake, NS – The Nova Scotia Liberals have pledged to increase funding for rural fire departments if they win the next election, leader Ian Rankin said Sunday.
While at Mount Uniakea in the center of the province, Mr Rankin indicated that he would use Canada’s Community Futures Fund, formerly a gas tax fund, to provide rural Nova Scotia fire stations as quickly as possible.
Previously, fire stations were not among the locations eligible for funding under this program, Rankin said.
The rural fire department has been badly affected by this decision. The Liberal leader recalled that without a strong tax base, he was often forced into fundraising to obtain the financial support he needed.
Jennifer Daniels, a volunteer firefighter with the Hansport Fire Department, said the funding could be used to improve the old barracks built nearly 60 years ago. As communities expand, so does the need for public fire protection, she argued.
In July, the federal government announced that Nova Scotia would receive more than $58 million from the fund for fiscal year 2021-22.
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This story was produced with financial support from the Facebook Stock Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.
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