15th District Report

Pursuant to Article VI, Section 7 of the Constitution & By-Laws of the International Association of Fire Fighters, I respectfully submit this report of my activities as Vice President of the 15th District to General President Edward A. Kelly, General Secretary-Treasurer Frank V. Líma, the IAFF Executive Board, and all officers, delegates, and alternates in attendance at the 58th Convention of the International Association of Fire Fighters assembled in Arlington, Texas, August 9-14, 2026.

This inaugural report marks a milestone for our district as we navigate a period of unprecedented structural growth, legislative advocacy, and localized defense across our distinct regions.

Committee Leadership & Responsibilities

Following my election, General President Kelly has trusted me with several key appointments. I continue to serve as an active member of the Executive Board’s Canadian Affairs, Communications, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Policy Committees, ensuring our district’s distinct operational realities are well-represented at the leadership table.

Most recently, I was honored to be named Chair of the Elected Human Relations Committee (EHRC) and Chair of the Female Health & Safety Standing Committee. I deeply appreciate General President Kelly’s trust and confidence in assigning me to lead these bodies.

The Female Health & Safety Standing Committee, established through Resolution No. 2024-21, represents a historic first for our International. For too long, the specific occupational hazards faced by female fire fighters and emergency medical workers have lacked dedicated research and institutional strategy. From addressing chronically ill-fitting PPE and outdated station designs to confronting reproductive hazards and the glaring gaps in presumptive cancer coverage for female-specific conditions, the challenges ahead are vital. I look forward to leading both the EHRC and this critical new standing committee to develop modern, data-driven resources that protect, respect, and advance every single member of our union.

Historic Cultural Evolution & Growth in Quebec

For years, the 15th District has recognized that organizing and servicing Quebec effectively requires more than just translating documents from English to French. It requires structural equity and respect for the official language of the province. Over this past term, we turned that recognition into a relentless operational push.

By working closely with headquarters and our Canadian office, we have significantly expanded the delivery of IAFF services, technical training, and critical behavioral health resources fully in Canadian-French.

The return on this investment has been historic. By delivering the unmatched value of the IAFF’s international infrastructure directly in our members’ native language, we broke through traditional barriers and outpaced local independent syndicates. Over the last two years, we have grown our membership in Quebec by over 500 fire fighters and chartered three new French-speaking locals.

Chief among these victories is the affiliation of Quebec City, now one of the largest and most influential locals in the province. Bringing Quebec City into the IAFF family fundamentally shifts the labor landscape in Eastern Canada. It sends a clear message to unorganized or independently organized departments across the province: the IAFF is the premier advocate for fire fighters, capable of protecting your health, safety, and collective agreements while fully respecting your linguistic reality.

Regional Battles and Strategic Local Victories

Our strength as a district relies on our ability to fight effectively at every scale, whether protecting the baseline safety of a major metropolitan department or standing the line with a newly formed municipal local facing hostile administration.

Montreal, Québec, Local 125

In our largest affiliate, we are currently locked in a critical legal battle defending minimum staffing levels on ladder companies. The employer has repeatedly pushed models that allow ladder crew staffing to fall to just two fire fighters, an unacceptable risk that compromises both citizen safety and interior suppression teams. Local 125 has taken this fight directly to the courts. The IAFF has provided heavy-hitting, foundational support, utilizing our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) deployment analysis to mathematically prove the danger of these staffing cuts. Furthermore, the International has used guardian policy to help cover the significant legal costs of this challenge, ensuring that our largest locals have the financial staying power to defeat dangerous municipal precedents before they spread.

Dieppe, New Brunswick, Local 5415

One of our newest affiliates faced a brutal, uphill battle while trying to secure their very first collective agreement against a deeply hostile employer. The administrative resistance was severe. I personally sat on an interest arbitration panel as the union nominee to fight back against their heavy-handed tactics, which included the egregious termination of a member while they were on workers’ compensation (WCB) for mental health issues. While we successfully won that arbitration and protected our member, the employer has since sought a judicial review in the courts to overturn the decision. This ongoing battle highlights exactly why we organize: no small local should have to face an aggressive municipal administration alone. Backed by the full legal and financial weight of the IAFF, Local 5415 continues to stand firm, demonstrating the true meaning of union solidarity.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Local 5219

Last summer, we launched a high-visibility IAFF FIREPAC “Fighting Back” campaign in Charlottetown under the banner “4 Firefighters, 4 Your Safety.” This campaign was designed to take the message of critical staffing deficiencies directly to the public and political decision-makers, setting a benchmark for the entire Atlantic region.

The cascading impact of that campaign has been phenomenal:

Atlantic Provinces Professional Fire Fighters Association (APPFFA)

The remainder of our district is anchored by the resilient locals of the Atlantic Provinces Professional Fire Fighters Association (APPFFA). Through coordinated advocacy, political action, and a unified approach to collective bargaining, our Atlantic affiliates have achieved significant milestones over the past two years.

New Brunswick

In May 2025, we secured a landmark agreement with WorkSafeNB to deliver IAFF Peer Support Training across the province. Under this unique framework, the IAFF serves as the training provider, the APPFFA acts as the facilitator, and WorkSafeNB fully funds the program—covering instruction, venue costs, social events, and all associated training expenses. This represents a major institutional victory for member mental health.

On the political front, May 2026 brought exceptional municipal election success. President Emeritus Glenn Miller and former local presidents Blair Sullivan and Dennis Woods successfully won seats on their respective municipal councils. Their presence, along with several other successful IAFF/APPFFA-backed candidates across the province, ensures a strong, pro-labor voice inside municipal governments.

Nova Scotia

In April 2026, the privately operated Nova Scotia Firefighters School permanently ceased operations. This follows the tragic and preventable line-of-duty death of Brother Skyler Blackie of Truro Local 1627 during a training exercise at the facility. The APPFFA stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Blackie family to demand strict accountability and fundamental changes to the school’s governance. This sustained pressure resulted in the resignation of the entire executive board and board of directors, and control of the training facility is currently being transferred back to the Province of Nova Scotia, where it belongs.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Driven by the enduring vision and advocacy of the late Jim O’Toole, WorkplaceNL officially launched a dedicated Firefighters Resource Hub. This site functions as a centralized repository for fire fighter health and wellness, providing essential education on occupational cancer prevention, PTSD, cardiac health, early screening, and exposure reduction, while streamlining access to compensation information. Vice President Sharpe continues to build on Jim’s formidable legacy, engaging directly with provincial authorities to advance legislative changes that will explicitly allow municipal employers to provide wage top-ups for fire fighters receiving workers’ compensation benefits.

Prince Edward Island

Following our sustained advocacy through the “4 Firefighters, 4 Your Safety” campaign launched by Local 5219, Charlottetown’s fire chief was retired from his position. While the operational progress on core staffing improvements in Charlottetown continues to move at a slow pace, municipal officials have now formally acknowledged the necessity of increasing front-line staffing levels to improve community service delivery.

Atlantic-Wide Economic Achievements

By prioritizing information sharing, structural preparation, and coordinated bargaining strategies, our affiliates across all four Atlantic provinces have achieved exceptional economic results at the negotiation tables. Several locals have broken historical compensation ceilings, securing substantial wage gains exceeding 20 percent, with our highest settlement achieving an outstanding 24 percent wage increase over a four-year contract.

The 15th District Team

As fire fighters, we know that no officer is effective without a highly trained, well-coordinated crew on the line. The victories outlined in this report are the direct result of a dedicated team who do the heavy lifting in the trenches, often managing the complex logistics for which I receive the credit.

Together, this team provides the technical proficiency, legal experience, and operational support that keep our locals safe and successful at the bargaining table.

Honoring Our Fallen

As we gather in Arlington, we carry with us the memory of the brothers and sisters from the 15th District who have made the ultimate sacrifice. During the annual memorial ceremonies in Colorado Springs over the last two years, the following names were permanently inscribed onto the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall to ensure their service and sacrifice are never forgotten.

2024 Memorial Honorees

2025 Memorial Honorees

Conclusion

Stepping into this role meant following in the footsteps of David Burry, who dedicated 12 exceptional years to representing this district on the Executive Board. Those are incredibly large shoes to fill, and I want to publicly extend my deepest thanks to David for his guidance, leadership, and the strong foundation he left behind.

To the membership and local leaders of the 15th District: thank you for putting your confidence in me to lead. It is a profound honor to represent our unique, bilingual, multi-provincial membership. We have proven over the last two years that when we organize with cultural respect, back our locals with international resources, and stand together as a unified crew, there is no hostile employer or dangerous policy we cannot defeat.

To all delegates, alternates, and guests, I wish you an informative, productive, and unified week here at the 58th Biennial Convention.