The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) is welcoming a revised service agreement for new emergency radios purchased by several municipalities last year in preparation for the new emergency communications system set to come on-line in Manitoba this year.

Frustration grew among councils in 2020 after they'd been informed that some of the radios already purchased from Bell/MTS at a price between $4,000 and $8,000 each wouldn't be serviced by Motorola after the year 2025 to make way for a newer model. Read more: Municipal Frustration Growing After Latest Emergency Radio Development

"We immediately reached out to the Province of Manitoba, Bell and Motorola to learn more about the decision...and we also met directly with Bell's executive team and had a great discussion with them, and I guess I can say in light of our advocacy efforts we were made aware of Bell's offer to extend servicing for the impacted radios by an additional twenty-four months," explained AMM president, Kam Blight.

As a result, the affected radios will be serviced by Bell up to September 30, 2027.

While the radios will still be serviceable by other entities after 2027, Blight says AMM appreciates Bell's willingness to work with them on this revised agreement.

"We certainly look forward to (the new system) coming online as soon as possible, it's replacing decades-old FleetNet systems which have many problems and service disruptions," said Blight. "With public safety being priority number one for local councils and their communities, reliable emergency communications equipment is absolutely essential."