A Bylaw to Amend Bylaw No. 374/2014 Known as the Zoning Bylaw

There will be a Public Hearing held on February 14, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the 50+ Club, to hear residents’ comments, questions, or concerns, regarding the following Bylaw #430/2022. If residents are unable to attend in person, please send your written submissions to the Town Office before the above date.

Town Office address: D-129 Railway St. E., Balgonie, SK.
Email: [email protected]
Fax: (306) 771-2899

Cheers to 41 Years!

A Come and Go Tea and a Retirement Party for Fire Chief Dave Campbell will be held on Saturday, March 26. Please see the attached posters for more details.

The Town of Balgonie is excited to announce that Doug Lapchuk will be stepping up from Deputy Fire Chief to Fire Chief effective January 1, 2022!

Doug found his passion for firefighting at a young age. His Dad, Donald, was one of the founders of the White City Fire Department and this is where Doug took on his very first volunteer role at the age of 16. In 1995, Doug joined the Balgonie Volunteer Fire Department and hasn’t looked back since.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” as they say. Doug’s wife, 3 sons, and 1 daughter-in-law are all volunteers themselves.

Doug is a Level 2 Fire Service Instructor and is President of the SVFFA. Anyone who knows him, knows he is very passionate and considers all volunteer firefighters in the Province of Saskatchewan as his firefighting family.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to keeping our community safe. We look forward to having you as our new Fire Chief!

The Prarie Storm schedule can now be found on the Town of Balgonie website at the bottom of the Events page and at the bottom of the Stardome page.

As of December 31, 2021, Chief Dave Campbell has announced his retirement after 41 years with the Balgonie Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders. In 1980, Dave was 29 years old when he started with the Volunteer Fire Department. There was a 1957 International truck, a 1937 Chevy and 10-12 members.

“We were trying to do a job with not great resources, and trying to do it right, and getting trained and protecting ourselves.”

In 1990, Firefighter Dave became Chief Campbell. At that time, callouts where approx. 12-15 per year. Today, the Balgonie Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD) responds to approximately 80-100 calls a year ranging from fires, car accidents and medical emergencies. In his time as Chief, Campbell has seen many changes. He was responsible for bringing in the Medical First Responder (MFR) program to Balgonie in 1993, allowing Firefighters to become certified to respond to medical emergencies. At that time, EMS response times to our community were approximately 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day and the time of year. Now the Volunteer crew could assist the Town and R.M. residents with fire calls, car accidents, heart attacks, diabetic emergencies, falls, almost anything. The BVFD First Responders were also one of the first MFR crews in southern Saskatchewan to have an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machine which was bought from Calgary after the Olympic Games. Dave believes that the Fire Department is one big family and, as such, has remained a blended Department of Firefighters and Medical First Responders with approximately three quarters of the Volunteers being dually trained.

BVFD, under Chief Campbell’s tenure, has had a large percentage of female members with there currently being six female Firefighters/First Responders, or about 25%. Dave has always said “I don’t care if you’re male or female, in turnout gear everyone looks the same. If you think you want to do this, come try it out.” Dave has always been known as a progressive Chief.

Over the years, BVFD has always been a family under Chief Campbell’s leadership. This is not a fire hall but a fire house. “A house holds a family. We are all members of the Firefighting family and as such we are there for each other. This isn’t like volunteering to help out at hockey or soccer, this can come down to life and death. We have each others’ backs.”

Over the years under Chief Campbell’s watch, the Fire Department has moved into a bigger fire hall, grown from two fire trucks to three, brought in the First Responder program, grew to 30 volunteers, and is a very well rounded Fire Department ready for whatever the next call might be.

Chief Campbell will definitely be missed by his Firefighting family, not only here in Balgonie but by the Fire Services throughout the Province. Thank you for your many years of dedicated service to the Department, Dave!

Good luck in your future endeavours. Enjoy your retirement!

Sparkle Tour Event
December 19, 2021
7 pm – 8 pm

Due to Covid-19, we cannot celebrate the same way we have in previous years. The Balgonie Fire Department has invited Santa to be in attendance in front of the Town Office from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. The fireworks show will start at 7:30 p.m.

We encourage everyone to decorate their yards! There will be judging by the RCMP for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place from December 7th – 14th. Please ensure your lights are on in the evenings! Winners will be announced on the Town’s Facebook page on December 15th.

Are you missing the sparkle tour just as much as we are? Bundle up and go on your own Sparkle Tour through town with your family and friends! Enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations.

Sparkle Tour 2021 Poster

Fire Chief Dave Campbell has given his resignation to the Town of Balgonie effective Dec. 31, 2021. Though filling his boots will be a tall order, the Town Council is in the process of selecting a replacement that will train alongside Chief Campbell for his last month.

Candidates will provide their submission of interest by October 29, 2021 for Town Council’s consideration. The Volunteer Fire Chief job description can be obtained by contacting the Town of Balgonie at [email protected]