Services come at a cost

Given the current provincial government’s propensity for resolutely taking the path of least resistance, this may never happen.

But it should.

And a small social media stir points out why. The online upset was about a house fire in the unincorporated area of Michael’s Harbour, an area of some 30 homes outside Lewisporte.

Residents complained that the Lewisporte fire department didn’t respond to the fire. Lewisporte has set rules for responding to fire calls in areas outside its fire district, especially for areas that didn’t agree to pay fees towards the operation of its fire service.

It’s an issue that’s arisen before, when the Corner Brook fire department set rules for responding to fire calls outside that city. At issue is the cost of providing the service, as well as the fact that servicing outlying areas takes equipment away from the town or city that’s actually paying for it. Fire services will generally respond if life is at risk; it’s a different story when it’s just property.

On the one hand, it’s an easy concept to understand. If you refuse to pay your automobile insurance policy, you can’t complain when the insurance company refuses to pay for repairs to your vehicle after you have an accident.

But the problem is complicated by a unique piece of local governance in this province: areas that have no cohesive municipal government. They also have the financial advantage of few taxes and fees.

There are 175 local service districts among this province’s 300 unincorporated communities. In those areas, the provincial government often provides services that would normally be the responsibility of municipal governments, like snowclearing and road repairs. (Since residents aren’t charged directly for the services, provincial taxpayers end up carrying the costs.)

About one-tenth of the province’s population lives in such areas.

But getting everyone in an unincorporated area onside to pay for things like firefighting fees to nearby towns can be a challenge. And that means that services that most people would consider both basic and universal — like fire protection — might not be available when needed.

The simple solution in this case is to have the provincial government, well, govern.

By putting consistent, region-wide development standards and rules in place — and reasonable regional fees and taxes — residents can have reasonable expectations about the services they will receive. The provincial government might not want to put a county system into place, such as exists in other provinces, but some form of regional governance would help to solve the problem.

You can see why the provincial government doesn’t want to act; it will mean charging new taxes and fees to people who currently enjoy receiving services without that financial outlay.

And that would certainly be politically unpopular. But it’s also a matter of what’s needed, and what’s fair.