East Ferris plans to build a new fire hall that would also serve as a regional fire training centre for departments across Nipissing District, Parry Sound District and Sudbury District.
Currently, the municipality is applying to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) for $2 million toward the project, the maximum amount it can apply for. Staff began the application process last year, and the funding agency wanted additional information, specifically a draft design of the building.
Municipal staff are also seeking approval from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal to operate a training centre.
Jason Trottier, East Ferris’ Chief Administrative Officer, explained that for a few years, the municipality has been planning to replace its Corbeil fire hall, which is attached to the former municipal office, built in 1967 and expanded twice over the years.
“We’ve really outgrown it in terms of using it for a fire hall,” Trottier said. “In 2025 we started having more serious discussion on replacing the hall, and we submitted an application to NOHFC seeking funding. Council had a discussion that instead of just a fire hall, we want to move ahead with a fire hall and training centre, which means the facility would be larger than what was previously anticipated.”
To prepare for the new fire hall, the municipality purchased a seven-acre plot of land in Corbeil last year. The municipality also conducted the necessary soil study to determine if it would be suitable for building the proposed fire hall and training centre.
Currently, the closest accredited and operational training facilities are in Huntsville, Haileybury, and Sault Ste. Marie, Trottier said. The distance leads to a lot of travel time and expense for many departments across Nipissing, East Parry Sound, and Sudbury East Districts.
Although Huntsville isn’t that far away, Trottier emphasized that the Huntsville training centre also serves a large catchment area. Spaces for training fill quickly. A new training centre in East Ferris would better serve the region’s firefighters and save money and time for training.
“There’s a lot of training involved with firefighting, and most training is not occurring in our municipality of surrounding neighbouring municipalities,” Trottier said. “We’re all having to send firefighters outside of town to train.”
“There are significant costs for travelling, accommodation, meals, and all of our firefighters are volunteers, so we’re asking them to take time of from work, to go out of town, and stay multiple days away from their families.”
“I don’t think we should be burdened with those costs as a municipality, and our firefighters shouldn’t be burdened with doing more as they’re already volunteering,” Trottier added.
A new facility in East Ferris would allow regional firefighters to travel back and forth within a day to train, Trottier said. It will lower costs for regional fire departments, Trottier added.
On March 5, East Ferris sent letters to regional municipalities asking for support of it’s NOHFC application. In the letter, East Ferris’ mayor Rick Champagne, emphasized, “Beyond cost savings, the centre will foster regional collaboration by creating a shared space for joint exercises, mutual aid training, specialized certifications, and knowledge exchange.”
The mayor continued, “Training together will strengthen inter-departmental relationships and improve coordinated emergency response across our region.”
So far, 14 municipalities have supported East Ferris’ proposal.
These letters of support will be included in the application to the NOHFC. And although the NOHFC announced early this year that it would no longer fund fire halls and related fire services under its Community Enhancement Program, because East Ferris submitted its first application last year, it is still eligible to apply.
The municipality will submit their application to NOHFC in the first week of April. “I’m hopeful that the ministry wants to move ahead with this,” Trottier said. “It’s an important project.”