Halifax fire chief retiring amid calls to step down

CITYnewsa halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency announced his retirement, following calls last month for him to resign.

In a statement, the municipality says Ken Stuebing will retire as of Dec. 1, with Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum taking on the role of Acting Executive Director and Fire Chief until the hiring process is completed.

“It has been an honour and privilege to serve alongside hundreds of dedicated and passionate HRFE members,” said Chief Steubing. “Each day, your commitment to protecting our communities and striving to make things better has been inspiring.”

Stuebing’s retirement comes after the union representing firefighters, Halifax Professional Fire Fighters (HPFF), issued a statement last month alleging issues with the chief including wildfire training and personnel issues.

“His failures extend beyond emergency operations,” reads a statement from HPFF in September. “Complaints of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic behaviour among HRFE managers have gone unaddressed. At the same time, qualified operational leaders are being demoralized and driven out, while managers with unrelated skillsets are brought in to oversee programs that add little to our core mission of firefighting.”

Related:

• Firefighters’ union calls for resignation of fire chief amidst ‘declining’ capacity of service
• More funding needed to improve response times: firefighters union
• Provincial interim firefighter training program coming soon, minister says

A statement of response from the municipality to those allegations said the Commissioner of Public Safety would review the allegations, but no comment would be made publicly as the HRM and the union are currently in contract negotiations.

Brendan Meagher, President of HPFF, said on The Todd Veinotte Show, there have been several situations that highlight this contrast in priorities, dating back to 2018 when the union began demanding call-in procedures.

The chief’s refusal to follow through on such meant following catastrophes left crews on scene for extended periods of time with no relief.

“Since the Tantallon wildfire, frustration among our members has only grown. We were promised training and hands-on sessions that never happened,” a statement from the HPFF union reads. “No new wildfire-specific equipment has been provided in advance of the 2025 wildfire season.”