The first post-2025-election meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement Board took place on July 2, 2025. L-R: Fire Chief Will Sprogis, Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Ovens, and interim Corporate Officer, Administrative Assistant Marjorie Colebrook, Trustees Diana Moher, John Moeller, Wayne Mercier (Chair), Oliver Bussler, Dave Chorneyko, Ray Appel, and Erik Johnson. Derek Kilbourn photo
Derek Kilbourn
Sounder News
The new Board of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District held its first post-election general meeting on July 2, 2025.
The meeting was chaired by Trustee Wayne Mercier.
In attendance were the entire Board of Trustees: Erik Johnson, John Moeller, Diana Moher, Ray Appel, Oliver Bussler, and Dave Chorneyko.
They were joined at the table by Fire Chief Will Sprogis, Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Ovens, and interim Corporate Officer and Administrative Assistant Marjorie Colebrook.
Select Committee struck to review District Policies
Trustee Diana Moher moved that the Board compose a Select Committee composed of Trustees to engage in and review and provide the current policies of GFPID, and that committee is to report to the board.
Trustees Moher, Oliver Bussler, and Eric Johnson will be on the committee.
The committee is asked to provide to the Board at the September 2025 meeting an audit which looks at GFPID policies correctly adopted; which should be continued; policies which require revision and formal adoption; policies which should be done away with or revised entirely; and policy gaps.
A member of the public, Glenys Bussler, spoke during the Questions period of the meeting, identifying herself as being one of the persons who had been involved in the 2022 Governance Review of the GFPID Board.
During the 2025 Fire Board Elections, Bussler had asked the then-candidates about the adoption of the recommendations made by the review committee.
She had been answered by the former Fire Board chair who said that motions were made when things were passed in particular, and that everything had been dealt with.
Bussler said, “I’ve gone through minutes of the meetings, and I cannot find the motions that were claimed to have been met.
“So it would be my request that you [the current Board] go through the recommendations and provide the list to the community in this transparency of what motions were adopted, which ones weren’t, and then reference to the minutes or the meeting where that was done, because nothing in there should have been done in camera, in my opinion.”
She asked that the loop be closed on the Governance Review.
“I was on the select committee. I think that the work we did was valuable, and I would not like to see it just thrown under the table or…it was dealt with.”
Chair Mercier said that while it wasn’t explicitly specified in the motion to do the policy review process, it was his hope that the process initiated at the July 2 meeting will look closely at those recommendations, “and provide just the kind of reports that you’re requesting.
“So it wasn’t explicitly spelled out…I hope that process of review that you are requesting and recommending is taken up seriously.”
Review of Financial Management Practices
The Board is also forming a subcommittee to look at the District’s Financial Management Practices.
This will include, but not be limited to; procurement, invoice processing, expense approvals, emergency expenditures, reimbursements, petty cash, signing, authority and procedures.
There is no time limit set on the report on this.
Board awaiting arrival
of 2025 Levy
As of July 2, the Fire District was awaiting payment of the 2025 Levy from the Provincial Government.
Colebrook gave a financial report at the July 2 meeting, saying there are $20,000 in invoices needing to be paid; and $14,000 in benefits outstanding.
The District (as of July 2), had $18,000 in it’s operating account, and $4,500 in outstanding tax.
Finance Committee to
meet on July 23 to
appoint new chair
At the July 2 meeting, Trustee John Moeller requested the Board schedule a Finance Committee meeting, to appoint a new chair of that committee.
The Board is scheduled to have that meeting on July 23 at 7pm at Fire Hall #1 on Church Street.
On the agenda posted on the Gabriola Fire web site is the election of a new Chair; 2026 Budget planning; and preparation of the Audit.
Board affirms intention to pay firefighters backpay owed from January 1 raise
Firefighters at the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department were budgeted to get a raise in 2025.
At the July 2 meeting, the Trustees affirmed their intention to implement the approved firefighter pay increase as budgeted for in the 2025 budget, with the increase to be applied retroactively to January 1, 2025.
The raise will be $3 an hour, with some variation depending on the rank of the firefighter.
Privacy Report
Chair Mercier reported that there has been one Freedom of Information request made on May 20, 2025, that request was completed by the contracted company.
There are two ongoing Freedom of Information matters.
Mercier acknowledged that those matters have to deal with requests he had made; received responses on; and filed a complaint regarding those responses via the Privacy Commissioner.
That complaint is now under investigation by the Commissioner.
District Policy has the Chair of the Board as the default person who deals with responding to FOI requests.
As Mercier is the one who made the complaint, there is an obvious conflict in him being the one to answer that complaint on behalf of the Board. The Board will need to appoint someone else to deal with responding to those particular files on behalf of the Board. A decision is pending on which of the Trustees that will be.
Request made that
Trustees keep all business on official emails
Glenys Bussler had a second question during the Questions period.
She explained that she was looking at the situation from a ‘moving forward point of view.’
Bussler has made freedom of information (FOI) requests because she didn’t receive the information she had requested through an informal request.
Through her FOI requests, Bussler received documents showing that a complaint she had made was communicated about by the previous Board utilizing personal emails, rather than their official Trustee emails.
“I would like a commitment that this doesn’t happen any further. I don’t like the fact that my personal, private information was shared amongst personal email accounts.
“I have a copy of a redacted email dealing with a harassing complaint that is has seven email addresses, none of which are corporate. I would like moving forward…that this is not done in the future.”
Chair Mercier said, “I hear the seriousness with which you’ve made your comment. And would ask respectfully that you submit some version of your comment in writing to the board so that we can receive it as information, so that your concerns be logged.
“Whether or not we’re able to receive that correspondence publicly or must receive it in camera.
“If you submit it to us, I can commit that it will be distributed to the board and taken under consideration in that way.”
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