Township of Lake of Bays to terminate joint Fire Services Agreement with Huntsville

Lake of Bays is preparing to end its shared fire services deal with Huntsville, moving toward an independent fire department of its own.

The Township of Lake of Bays discussed their transition to terminate joint Fire Services Agreement with Huntsville, in the September 9, 2025, meeting.

According to the staff report, in a closed meeting last June Council approved the termination of the agreement that was initiated in 2022 and directed the CAO to provide Huntsville with a termination notice.

The CAO, Geoff Carleton, advised that a review was completed considering staffing, service delivery, contracted and township services, community growth, safety needs, and recruitment strategies.

His report explains, “Following a comprehensive review and relevant literature, stakeholder interviews, fire services meetings, and financial analysis, it is evident that the Township of Lake of Bays is well positioned to deliver comparable, if not enhanced, level of fire services through a transition to an independent service model.”

It adds, “This approach enables more responsive service delivery tailored to the unique needs of Lake of Bays.”

The Lake of Bays-Huntsville Governance Committee will also be “struck” from the by-law that establishes advisory committees, appoints members of Council as representatives to it, external boards and organizations.

Carleton said that he will begin recruitment for a full-time Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief for the township.

According to the report, the transition also proposes additional staffing, including a Deputy Fire Chief and Administrative Co-ordinator, which will be included in the Draft 2026 Budget, with recruitment scheduled for the 3^rd and 4^th quarters of 2026.

It continues that the current long-term Capital Plan allocation is $758,000, plus $1,262,571 for the operations budget, and $300,000 for subcontracted services of the Fire Department Administration Services Agreement.

Staff also reported that financial implications will include “service overlap” during the transition period. They add, “The Fire Service Administration Agreement ensures funding continuity during this time, supporting both municipalities as the transition progresses.” However, recruitment efforts will be initiated to “reduce long-term cost increases.”

Mayor, Terry Glover, confirmed that the current agreement will remain in place for another year and a half and that “nothing will change with service.”

He added, “It makes sense to do this. We were once on our own. Everybody else is on their own.”

He continued that the idea for the transition occurred “because we had to do an agreement and found some spots that we may improve.”

The operation and capital budgets will be presented in the 2026 Budget and Business Plan, and financial allocations for the Fire Department will be in the draft budget for Council’s review and adoption.