At their meeting on Feb. 10, Carlow Mayo Township council passed several bylaws related to fire response cost recovery, an agreement with Fire Marque, an Administrative Monetary Penalty System, the Appointment of Screening and Hearing Officers, and the establishment of the user fees under the AMPS bylaw, as recommended by their Bylaw Enforcement Officer, CEMP and CFSO Allen Musclow. Musclow comments on the passage of these bylaws at their last meeting.
Musclow presented a report to council at their meeting last month on Jan. 13 regarding these bylaws, and council discussed it and instructed him to proceed with developing these bylaws and instituting an agreement with Fire Marque Inc., whose president Chris Carrier presented to council earlier in that meeting on what his company had to offer municipalities like Carlow Mayo with regard to cost recovery for insured perils. Carlow Mayo entered into an agreement with Brudenell, Lyndoch, and Raglan Fire Services in August 2025 to provide fire suppression services for structural fires within their township. BLR invoices Carlow Mayo using the current MTO rate schedule, and Musclow said at the December council meeting that as they continue to use external fire suppression services, there’s a bigger need to ensure that the associated costs are recovered wherever possible to protect taxpayers and maintain the financial sustainability of the township. Also at that December meeting, Musclow went through the benefits of implementing a cost-recovery bylaw; it would reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers by shifting eligible response costs to insurance carriers, it improves financial sustainability of fire protection services by helping offset the increasing costs of fire response, it ensures the township is compensated for major, multi-apparatus, or extended incidents, and it aligns the township with common municipal practice across Ontario, where cost recovery bylaws are widely used.
Before the bylaws were passed at the Feb. 10 meeting, Carlow Mayo did not recover costs for fire suppression services provided by other municipalities under a fire service agreement. After the January meeting, Musclow told The Bancroft Times that these costs are eligible for recovery under property insurance for incidents such as structure fires.
“While fixed costs are covered through the municipal levy, incident specific response costs billed to the township are not reimbursed. Fire Marque is a Canadian company specializing in recovering eligible fire suppression costs from insurance companies when services are provided under a fire service agreement. Recovery is part of existing property insurance coverage, so there is no additional cost to property owners and no impact on their primary payouts. By partnering with Fire Marque, the township can recover these costs. Many Ontario municipalities, including neighbouring municipalities, already use Fire Marque to offset fire suppression costs. The township does not have the staff resources to independently administer a cost recovery program of this nature,” he says.
The recovered funds from this initiative are for cost recovery only, according to Musclow, and apply to existing coverage policies only. While amounts are difficult to gauge, recoveries will offset costs incurred under the fire service agreement and after 12 months of participation in the program, it will be looked at. Musclow informed council that Fire Marque retains 30 per cent of recovered funds and will handle communications with insurers.
At their Feb. 10 meeting, Carlow Mayo council heard from Musclow in a few reports dated that day. The first report regarding Ontario Fire Code AMPs recommended that council receive and approve Musclow’s recommendation to develop and adopt a policy governing the collection and allocation of AMPS for contraventions of the Ontario Fire Code.
By way of background, Musclow informed council that municipalities are authorized to enforce contraventions of the Ontario Fire Code through an AMP system.
“Under this framework, penalties issued for Fire Code violations may be collected directly by the municipality, and the township retains all monies collected. The AMP system provides a timely and efficient alternative to court-based enforcement and supports enhanced compliance with fire safety requirements,” he says.
Musclow recommended that Carlow Mayo develop a formal policy directing that any monies collected from Ontario Fire Code contraventions through the AMP system be retained and allocated exclusively for fire prevention initiatives and public education programs within the township. The first bylaw, 15-2026, establishes certain user fees through the AMPS system, and the second, 16-2026, appoints the Screening and Hearing Officers to collect those fees from the AMPS system. Bylaw 17-2026 establishes these user fees for that purpose. The AMPS system establishes a structured system for addressing certain municipal bylaws and Fire Code contraventions administratively, providing a fair and efficient alternative to court proceedings. The Screening and Hearing Officers bylaw officially appoints individuals authorized to review alleged contraventions, issue penalties, and handle appeals under the AMPS process. The fees are established for municipal services, inspections, and administrative
processes, allowing the township to recover costs whilst supporting regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. All bylaws are consistent with Carlow Mayo’s authority under the Municipal Act, 2001, and support effective enforcement, accountability, and financial management. According to Musclow in his report, enacting these bylaws would provide the township with clear, efficient, and accountable processes for by-law enforcement and administrative penalties.
Musclow’s second report that day as CFSO pertained to the Fire Response Cost Recovery Bylaw, 13-2026, and the agreement with Fire Marque Inc. under Bylaw 14-2026.
“Bylaw 13-2026 has been prepared to establish a framework that allows the township to recover costs incurred as a result of fire response activities. This includes costs associated with responding to fire incidents where the responsible party is liable under applicable legislation or insurance coverage. Bylaw 14-2026 authorizes the township to enter into an agreement with Fire Marque Inc. to assist with the recovery of eligible fire response costs. Fire Marque Inc. specializes in pursuing reimbursement from insurers or responsible parties on behalf of municipalities, streamlining the process and improving recovery efficiency. Both bylaws support responsible fiscal management and align with the Township’s authority under the Municipal Act, 2001. [In conclusion, these bylaws] provide the township with effective tools to recover costs associated with fire response activities,” he says.
Musclow told The Bancroft Times on Feb. 10 that council received and discussed his reports related to the proposed AMPS, the Fire Marque agreement, and the fire cost recovery program.
“At the conclusion of the meeting, council approved the passage of the bylaws as presented,” he says. “At this time, there is nothing further I would add.”