Inspector found a number of OHS violations, many of which relate to housekeeping and uncompleted renovations in the administration building
Nova Scotia’s provincial labour regulator has issued a new stop‑work order against the Nova Scotia Firefighters School, the second such enforcement action in less than two years at the Waverley, N.S., training facility.
Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration said the latest order was issued on March 6 following an inspection that identified “several safety concerns” at the site, according to CBC News.
Eight separate stop‑work orders are now in place and will remain until the school implements a series of required safety controls, according to the report.
The department told CBC News that no training or simulation activities will be permitted at the school until corrective actions have been completed and verified by occupational health and safety (OHS) officials. The regulator previously issued a stop‑work order against the same facility in August 2024, according to the report.
Safety controls focus on equipment, PPE and documentation
The safety controls demanded by the department include inspections of firefighting equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE), including turnout gear and breathing apparatus. Inspectors also called for an inspection of the main administration building to confirm it complies with applicable fire codes, according to CBC.
The department further identified the need for inspection of welding equipment and verification of core administrative requirements such as safety data sheets, training records and safety‑programme documentation, CBC reported.
Menawhile, the Nova Scotia Firefighters School said there has been no firefighting training held at the Waverley facility since June 2025. The school said the recent inspection followed an anonymous complaint made to the OHS division.
“As expected, the inspector found a number of [occupational health and safety] violations, many of which relate to housekeeping and uncompleted renovations in the administration building. Because it is the only tool they have, the inspector issued a stop‑work order,” a school spokesperson said in an email, according to CBC.
The school stated that its executive committee is working directly with the OHS division to resolve the issues identified by inspectors and “expect to have those fully addressed in the very short term.” The school is also exploring options to rent out the premises to a third party to conduct training using the school’s equipment, according to the report.
“The [executive committee] is continuing a full review of all safety, governance and fiscal processes to clearly understand the current state of the School and to explore future directions,” the statement said. “The abiding and central priority of the [executive committee] is to ensure a culture of safety underlies all decisions and actions that are taken at the School.”
Firefighters association questions safety culture
Union leadership representing professional firefighters in Atlantic Canada also expressed concern about ongoing safety practices at the facility.
Joe Triff, president of the Atlantic Provinces Professional Firefighters Association, told CBC News he learned of the new stop‑work order on Saturday and was not surprised, but remains disappointed by the situation.
“Seven years after Skyler Blackie’s accident, we’re seeing that nothing has changed,” he said.
Triff said the fact that no active firefighting training was taking place at the time of the inspection does not lessen the seriousness of the safety issues described by regulators.
“I think that the issues persist, the culture of ignoring these orders and not following proper safety protocols is prevalent and going largely unchecked there at the school,” he said. “We think it’s unsafe for firefighters from Nova Scotia or from anywhere to be using the facility. We’re pleased that the government recognizes that there’s still problems and issued a stop‑work order.”
Fatal 2019 training incident still casting a shadow
The renewed enforcement action comes seven years after a fatal training incident at the same facility. Firefighter Skyler Blackie, a full‑time member of the Truro Fire Service, died in hospital in March 2019 after a fire extinguisher he was using during a training exercise exploded. Investigators later concluded that the extinguisher was visibly corroded and would likely have been removed from service if annual inspections had been completed.
In 2024, the Halifax Professional Firefighters Association issued a letter demanding the resignation of executive director John Cunningham, citing the school’s unsafe practices. The Truro Professional Firefighters Association quickly followed suit, with both unions united in their belief that Cunningham’s leadership has failed to prioritize the safety of trainees.
Blackie’s family also criticised the continued operations of the school where he lost his life.
