Conservatives stand with Victoria firefighter suspended for voicing concerns over proposed homeless support facility

The BC Conservatives have offered their support to Victoria firefighter Josh Montgomery after he was suspended for sending a letter to Premier David Eby in which he voiced his concerns over a proposed homeless assistance facility in his community.Conservative Party leader John Rustad and Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate Tim Thielmann both condemned the actions taken against Montgomery, and made it clear they stood with first responders.."No parent should be punished for protecting their children — especially not our brave first responders," Rustad wrote in a post on X.Thielmann shared his sentiments, adding, "This is a man who risks his life to save ours. Every day. A man who’ll stand up for the safety of his children and his neighbours. And they want to make an example out of him simply for writing to his Premier? I don't think so. The people of British Columbia won't stand for this."In a press release, Thielmann explained that Montgomery had been scheduled to speak at his town hall Wednesday night, but that he was forced to cancel and had been reprimanded over the letter, which he sent to Eby in July.The candidate questioned whether Eby or Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto had anything to do with the punishment, claims both politicians have vehemently denied."No one should face consequences for writing to me and if that’s the reason he was sanctioned, then he deserves an apology and back-pay from the person responsible," Eby said in a statement to the Times Colonist. "I've asked staff to follow up with the firefighter’s union to see if there’s anything I can do to support." He went on to thank Montgomery for reaching out to him about his perspective, adding, "I want to hear from front-line workers, first responders, and any member of the public who wants to share what they are seeing in their communities."After much speculation online, the union to which Montgomery belongs, Local 730 of the International Association of Firefighters, confirmed to the Times Colonist that he had, in fact, been suspended without pay for one day "for his opinions shared in a letter to Premier Eby."In his letter, Montgomery drew attention to the proposed relocation of a homeless support facility from the 900 block of Pandora Avenue to a facility at 2155 Dowler Place, which he described as being in "a quiet, family-oriented residential neighborhood.""As a first responder, I am experiencing firsthand the escalating aggression from individuals frequenting outreach services like those planned for 2155 Dowler," he stated. "People have started attacking and threatening first responders and creating a hostile and dangerous environment not just for emergency personnel but for the entire community."He cited the case of a paramedic who was "viciously attacked" on Pandora Avenue before a group of around 60 homeless people surrounded and threatened them and their colleagues, noting that as a result, first responders will no longer be permitted to respond to emergencies in the area without a police escort."The planned facility at 2155 Dowler Place is expected to serve 300 unhoused people per day — just 100 feet from where my young daughters, ages 4 and 6, play outside our home," Montgomery lamented. "The safety of first responders and families must be the province’s utmost priority. The current approach taken by the City of Victoria is not only reckless but endangers lives and erodes the public’s trust in our local and provincial leadership."He pointed out that in public meetings, Alto acknowledged that no public consultations were held due to expected backlash, and "stated unequivocally that people would be consuming drugs on the site at 2155 Dowler, though the site is not an official consumption site."Montgomery concluded by calling on Eby to "take immediate action" to "stop the relocation of this unregulated consumption site," even though the province was not in any way responsible for the move.