The City of Kenora and the Kenora Professional Fire Fighters Association have come to reach a tentative agreement.
The two have been in negotiations since February of 2021 but COVID-19 put a pause on the talks along with emergency response needed for the horrific wildfire season the region faced.
An agreement was reached on September 15, 2021, after tough but constructive bargaining.
“The K.P.F.F.A. is satisfied with the conclusion of this round of bargaining. We entered the negotiation process with the understanding of the current economic climate and both parties were able to come to a fair mutual agreement” states Kenton Ammerman, President of KPFFA.
“We had some extremely tough issues to address during this round of bargaining. However, our collective willingness to seek to understand the perspectives of one another and our shared desire to keep our relationships at the forefront, we feel that we reached a deal that is fair and reflective of today’s reality” states Kent Readman, Fire Chief.
On October 7, 2021, the KPFFA received a positive vote from their membership to ratify the collective agreement.
The agreement between the two is a five-year term and will begin on January 1, 2021, and end on December 31, 2025. The previous Collective Agreement expired in 2020.
Both parties are recommending ratification of the agreement to their membership and to the council.
The details of the tentative agreement will not be publicly released until it's been ratified.