With less than four months until the Oct. 20 civic election in Burnaby, former acting assistant fire chief and union president Mike Hurley will make an announcement about his “intention for the future” on Tuesday.
Hurley has not answered phone calls from the Now in recent weeks about his plans in the upcoming election.
In April, his union, International Association of Fire Fighters 323, paid to have an advertisement run in the Now praising Hurley as a “firefighter and leader.”
“This month, Mike retires from active service with the Burnaby Fire Department – but we cannot imagine him slowing down, as his commitment to our community knows no bounds,” the ad reads.
Hurley was born in Ireland but moved to the Lower Mainland in 1983 at age 25 before joining the Burnaby Fire Department in 1988. He rose up throught the ranks before eventually becoming an acting assistant fire chief.
He has been active with the union for most of his career, including an eight year stint as president.
The relationship between Burnaby firefighters and city government has been rocky at times. In 2015, more than 60 firefighters marched into a council meeting wearing t-shirts reading “We support those who support us” in protest of the lack of a contract with the city. A contract was eventually signed the next year.
Former Burnaby fire captain Rudy Popisil has already announced his independent run for a council seat.
The Now will have full coverage of Hurley’s announcement on Tuesday on Facebook, Twitter and burnabynow.com
