Preserving History and Ensuring Safety: The Mesachie Lake Fire Hall

Funding provided through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada infrastructure

The community of Mesachie Lake in the Cowichan Valley Regional District of British Columbia is home to a historically significant fire hall. The Mesachie Lake Volunteer Fire Department was officially formed in response to a fire that destroyed most of the town in 1949. Since its establishment, the fire hall has been an important cornerstone of community safety, providing the invaluable service of responding to community emergencies.

Fast forward over 80 years and the fire hall faced the inevitable challenge of aging infrastructure. Renovations were crucial to ensure continued functionality and efficiency, as well as provide a modernized space of community members who selflessly volunteer during emergencies.

The renovations to the hall were extensive, including everything from design and engineering to plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. Upgrades in ventilation and oil-fueled appliances to electric have provided significant health and safety improvements to the fire hall’s interior air quality, meaning healthier conditions for the important volunteer firefighters. These improvements also increased the overall efficiency of the building and reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But most importantly for the community that it serves, the improvements to the Mesachie Lake Fire Hall have extended the service life and ability to respond to emergencies.

Through the combined efforts of the Government of Canada and various partners, the Mesachie Lake Fire Hall has overcome the challenges of time and wear. Today’s building not only preserves the community’s important past but propels it into a more secure and sustainable future.

For more information, visit:

• CVRD
• Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program
• Investing in COVID-19 Community Resilience

What is the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (CVRIS)?

The federal COVID-19 Resilience stream was added to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to enable provinces and territories to re-allocate funds to respond to the impacts of COVID-19.

Quick facts:

• Under the COVID-19 Resilience stream, the cost sharing formula is 80 per cent federal funding and 20 per cent provincial funding for public infrastructure projects.
• As of November 2023, over 130 projects under the COVID-19 Resilience Stream have been announced in British Columbia, with a total federal contribution of more than $122 million.