Part 1: Food Security Support, Fire Service Concerns, and Risk Assessment Debate — 06/15/2026

The County Committee of the Whole met on June 15, 2023, at Shire Hall in Picton to hear a mix of community focused deputations and a major presentation that raised complex questions about fire protection across the municipality. The meeting was chaired by Phil St.-Jean (Picton) who opened the session by outlining that the meeting would include public participation and a presentation only discussion on fire services with no final decisions being made that day. Attendance and meeting structure followed the official agenda and minutes adopted later by Council.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

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The afternoon began with a deputation that set a personal and emotional tone. Vicki Struthers, Community Development Special Events and Grants Coordinator with the Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation, appeared before Committee to request continued support for the annual Feed the Meter campaign. Speaking alongside Kelly Brace, Operations Manager, Struthers explained how the program helps fund Food for Learning initiatives in local schools, ensuring children have access to breakfast and meals during the school day.

Struthers shared her own childhood experience of housing instability and how access to a school breakfast program provided stability during a difficult time. She explained that rising food costs and the loss of temporary pandemic funding have placed increasing strain on school nutrition programs. The Feed the Meter campaign, which redirects parking meter revenue for several winter months, helps keep those programs running in Picton and other communities. Council members responded with appreciation and asked questions about long term solutions to food insecurity and whether a formal motion was needed to continue the program.

Following discussion, Committee supported a motion to continue the Feed the Meter campaign for the remainder of the 2022 to 2026 Council term. The decision reflected broad agreement that the program remains an important support for families and students across the County.

The focus of the meeting then shifted to a far more technical and controversial item. Phil Dawson, Consultant with Emergency Management Group, delivered a presentation on the draft Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue Community Risk Assessment, the Fire Optimization Plan, and Station Location Mapping. Dawson explained that the work was based on provincial standards and national fire protection benchmarks and was intended to provide data driven options for Council to consider in the future.

Dawson outlined how the Community Risk Assessment identifies geographic, demographic, infrastructure, and service related risks across the County. He noted that this assessment will become mandatory for all Ontario municipalities in 2024. The risk assessment then informs the Fire Optimization Plan, which examines response times, station locations, call volumes, staffing, and facility conditions. Throughout the presentation, Dawson emphasized that the work was intended to show options and trade offs, not to recommend immediate closures or decisions.

Maps showing response time coverage quickly became the focal point of discussion. Councillors raised concerns about areas that appeared to fall outside preferred response times under certain scenarios, particularly in rural wards. Questions were asked about insurance implications for homeowners, how volunteer firefighters were consulted, how growth in places like Wellington was factored into the analysis, and what defined an underperforming facility.

As discussion continued, tensions emerged around the fear that data driven optimization could lead to station closures or relocations that would reduce service in some communities. Several councillors stressed the importance of public consultation before any direction was taken. Others questioned whether presenting high level findings before the full report was available risked unnecessary alarm.

Recognizing the growing concern, Committee voted to temporarily suspend procedural rules to allow Comments from the Audience earlier than scheduled. Residents spoke directly about fears of increased insurance premiums, water supply limitations, traffic safety, and the loss of perceived protection if stations were moved or decommissioned. These comments reinforced councillor concerns that fire protection is viewed by residents as a core and non negotiable service.

After further debate, a motion directing staff to undertake public consultation and call a special meeting was brought forward but did not pass. Instead, Committee ultimately supported a motion to receive the presentation, require that the consultant’s completed work product be provided to the municipality, and discontinue further work on the Fire Optimization Study, while retaining the completed Community Risk Assessment work for regulatory compliance.

The remainder of the meeting moved on to other business, including approval of a temporary noise exemption permit and a closed session related to housing matters, before adjourning in the late afternoon.

Key Takeaways

1. Council unanimously reaffirmed support for the Feed the Meter campaign, recognizing food security in schools as an ongoing community priority.

   
   

2. The fire services presentation sparked significant concern about service levels, insurance impacts, and rural coverage, highlighting how deeply residents and councillors value local fire protection.

   
   

3. Council chose to pause further optimization work for now, signalling that any future changes to fire services will require clearer information, stronger public engagement, and careful consideration of community impact.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:57:53. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.