The City of St. Albert has given Victor Fernandez three months to vacate city owned storage space he’s been using for the charity he runs that sends firefighting equipment to Latin American countries.
The City of St. Albert has given Victor Fernandez three months to vacate city owned storage space he’s been using for the charity he runs that sends firefighting equipment to Latin American countries.
The charity, Canadian Aid for Fire Services Abroad (CAFSA), has been storing used firefighting equipment in the city’s Hemingway building since 2008.
Fernandez stores the equipment, jackets, boots, helmets and other gear before he assembles large shipments to take to countries where the equipment is needed.
Several groups have used the building, the city’s former RCMP detachment headquarters, sporadically since the police moved out, but earlier this year the city reached a deal for the Visual Arts Studio Association to move into the building and make it an arts incubator. The city will also begin using space there.
“With the decision to use the building for VASA, and for city purposes, we have essentially used up all the space and needed the space Victor was using,” said Chris Jardine the city’s general manager of community and protective services.
Fernandez said he was deeply disappointed with the news.
“I consider myself a son and product of St. Albert and this is like the parent not backing me up.”
Fernandez, who is also a St. Albert firefighter, said the city gains from his efforts on behalf of the charity, because it associates the city with the cause.
“I know with this action that the city doesn’t get the message.”
Jardine said the city intends to store material related to elections, censuses and recreational events in the space. The city has given Fernandez the space free of charge over the last several years and Jardine said they were actually paying for storage at other facilities.
“It was difficult for us to continue renting space, while we were essentially giving it away to somebody.”
There is also no other space in city-owned facilities, Jardine said.
“We are literally bursting at the seams. I could walk you through every one of our buildings and show you the inadequate storage space, let alone the storage space we have turned into staff offices.”
Fernandez said the timing is particularly bad because fire halls are upgrading their gear right now and sending donated equipment to the foundation.
“Every summer every fire hall in this province does a spring clean-up and this is the time to find out what they can donate to CAFSA,” he said. “I already told four fire departments that I can’t take boxes.”
Since Fernandez’s story went public, he said he has heard from several businesses and other groups willing to give him a new home for the equipment.
“They are very upset at the city and they want to help me.”
He said the challenge now will be in moving the gear.
Jardine said the city signed a lease with Fernandez making it clear the storage was always going to be temporary.
“We told him from day one that this was on a temporary basis until we knew what we were doing with the space,” he said. “I wish Victor and his group well. I know they are working hard to do good stuff.”
