Welland firefighters want to honour fallen colleague Capt. Craig Bowman by naming their newest station after him.

Bowman, known as “Opie” by his colleagues, died on May 21, 2023, of stage 4 esophageal cancer — a disease he developed in the line of duty. He was 47.

Bowman was a firefighter for 22½ years — he spent 20 with Welland and nearly three years as a volunteer in Thorold.

At the time of his diagnosis, Bowman did not meet a 25-year threshold required under Ontario’s presumptive legislation for automatic compensation.

“Despite his unquestionable service-related illness, his initial claim to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) was denied,” said a letter to city council written by acting Capt. Adam Whalen and firefighter Matt Braun.

“What followed, however, is a legacy t

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