‘An attaboy’: Volunteer firefighter says tax credit a good step

The only little gift to taxpayers in this year’s provincial budget is a tax credit for volunteer firefighters and first responders, and it’s being called a good step forward.

“It’s like an attaboy, right?” said Doug Lapchuk, the president of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters’ Association.

Lapchuk said the tax credit will help acknowledge the work volunteers do and get them the recognition they need.

“For right now, coming from what we had to what we’re going to, this is a huge step forward,” he said, “and as long as we keep moving forward, I think that we’ll be in good shape.”

Lapchuk also thinks the tax credit will help people feel better about volunteering.

The credit is worth about $3,000 per person. To be eligible, the volunteers must have 200 working hours in a year.

Lapchuk said for firefighters, getting to that threshold won’t be hard. He said his home department in Balgonie responds to more than 100 calls in a year.

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April prompted the government to accelerate the implementation of the tax credit.

“That particular incident, I think, has renewed our gratitude of the importance of the first responders out there,” said Harpauer on Wednesday.

Lapchuk said he doesn’t like focusing on the bus crash, saying it’s one event at one point in time, but he said the crash definitely created more awareness of the issues volunteers face.

Lapchuk is also looking to a different part of the budget, to the money that has been earmarked for mental health. He said he hopes some of that money will be put toward treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder for people involved in traumatic events.

“There’s lots of traumatic events and if this money can help improve our members’ access to more definitive help in a shorter timeframe, then that’s a good thing as well,” he said.

Lapchuk said his association represents more than 3,200 firefighters. The province said there are about 7,700 people eligible for the tax credit, and if all of them claim it, it could add up to about $2.5 million.