Mutual aid pact made official

By Meg Olson

The mutual aid agreement between the local fire department and the corporation of Delta is now official, thanks to approval by the lieutenant governor of B.C.

There is a history of cooperation between the departments but fire chief Bill Skinner said the agreement spelled out the responsibilities and liabilities of both parties. “It just makes it official,” he said.

The contract was first signed by district commissioners in July 2005 and got approval from the mayor of Delta in August.

In announcing provincial approval of the contract provincial minister of state John van Dongen took the opportunity to toss out a familiar bone of cross-border contention.

“Border communities understand better than anyone else the need to resolve trade disputes and work cooperatively together to enhance our mutual prosperity,” he wrote.

“On this note our province would appreciate any support that you can give us by communicating to the government of the United States the importance of resolving the softwood lumber dispute.”