‘It should be Alex Munro Fire Hall’: Local decries renaming of new fire hall

A local woman is decrying the “incredibly disrespectful” decision by the District of Squamish to not name the new fire hall in Valleycliffe after her grandfather, Alex Munro, as it was previously called.

The previous fire hall had been called Alex Munro Fire Hall since 1999, when the Council of the day made the dedication to honour the memory of Munro. A pioneer, Munro formed the first fire brigade and was the fire chief from 1912 until 1950.

Last week, when District announced the brand-new fire hall was ready, Janice DesJardins was shocked to see it was being called Squamish Fire Hall No 1, and not the Alex Munro Fire Hall, as she had assumed it would be called.

“I am vert hurt, and my family is hurt, and this is incredibly disrespectful decision by the Mayor and Council,” DesJardins says.

“This actually used to be a curling rink and when it was changed to a fire hall, there was a public event in 1999 in which the entire community was invited, including our First Nations, to rename this as Alex Munro Fire Hall,” she says.

However, the District has placed a rock slate in Munro’s remembrance outside the new fire hall. But DesJardins says that means nothing if the name is not on the fire hall.

“They could remove it any day they want, and after 15 minutes of acknowledging Alex Munro on August 26, the ribbon will be cut and the building will forever be seen and known as Squamish Fire Hall No. 1 for future generations,” she says.

DesJardins says it’s insulting and unacceptable that the community or the family members were simply not contacted before this arbitrary decision was made to rename the fire hall as Squamish Fire Hall No .1. She plans to appear before Council along with family, friends and community members to ask Council to do the right thing and change the name to what was intended.

She is also supported by Tsawaysia Guss and Squamish Nation Gwen Harry, who were at the ceremony in 1999 to rename the fire hall as Alex Munro Fire Hall. “They dedicated the fire hall to his name and they should put the name back up where it belongs,” says Guss.

Rachel Boguski, the District’s communications manager, says the District and Squamish Fire Rescue would continue to preserve the legacy of Munro at the new fire hall. A plaque will be installed to permanently honour his memory and dedication of service. She said the former sign had been preserved and would be remounted in the training grounds for the benefit of future firefighters. The fire hall also features a display case with an additional opportunity to tell the story of the department’s history and Munro’s important contribution.

She says the naming of a District of Squamish building does not carry forward if the building is demolished and replaced.

“In the early design stage, the decision was made to name the facility “Fire Hall 1” with the provision of honouring Alex Munro with a memorial plaque at the front of the new building. The numbering of the fire halls will provide clarity for residents and visitors in the community, which has been an issue in the past,” she says.

DesJardins says she received a call from a District official who mentioned that this would provide more clarity and help with confusion. But she says the community has known all along that this was the Alex Munro fire hall.

“What confusion are they talking about?  Confusion for whom? Who is confused about which hall is which when the only individuals using those halls are our firefighters who surely are not confused about which hall is which when they get a fire call,” she says. “The dedication was done in 1999, so surely over that period of time this could have been achieved? Don’t cancel naming it the Alex Munro Fire Hall, but rather do the right thing and establish it as was promised at the dedication.”

Former Mayor Corinne Lonsdale says she is pained and troubled by the decision.

“I am really troubled that we seem to be wanting to erase our history, and we don’t want to celebrate the pioneers of the community or the people who built this community,” she says.

Lonsdale was the Mayor when the fire hall was dedicated as the Alex Munro Fire Hall and clearly remembers the ceremony.

“This was done with a lot of community support, and it meant something to people who came to the ceremony and to all of us in the community. We want to remember and honour the people who made this community, and not erase their names,” she says. “I have no idea if the staff or Council has put any thought into this but they really need to turn this decision around and call the new fire hall, Alex Munro Fire Hall,” Lonsdale says.

Bianca Peters, the president of the Squamish Historical Society, says they are in support of the “new” fire hall being called the Alex Munro Fire Hall.

“Squamish should not be known as a cancel culture town nor should Alex Munro be seen in any way as a colonialist. He volunteered his life for the betterment of the Squamish Valley and his memory should be secure in the annals of Squamish heritage with his name on the fire hall secured firmly to the building and site moving forward,” she says.

Munro, she says, was recognized as the founder of Squamish Volunteer Fire Department in 1999 and is credited with developing the service from a bucket brigade to an organization with a $10,000 investment at the time of his death in 1950, the year he was also named as the Citizen of the Year.

“Heritage is the management of change, and while there may be a new building in its place, Alex Munro remains the grandfather of the Squamish Fire Rescue service; the site has already been dedicated to his memory in memorium. It is not up to the District staff to make these changes without first engaging Council, Munro’s family, local heritage groups like the Squamish Historical Society, and the community as a whole,” Peters says.

DesJardins says she contacted Coun. Eric Andersen, who contacted the staff but has yet to hear from them. She wants Council to postpone the upcoming dedication to the community and change the name to Alex Munro Fire Hall.

“This needs to be corrected and I am requesting that the August 26th ribbon-cutting be postponed until a delegation can come before Mayor and Council to address this issue,” she says.