Stéphane Noël, head of the Gatineau Firefighters' Association, said he thinks the suspension contravenes his right to free speech. (CBC)The president of Gatineau's firefighters union has received a six-month suspension without pay after making comments in the media about a fire that destroyed a historic church.

Stéphane Noël, head of the Gatineau Firefighters' Association, said he received the letter from the City of Gatineau Friday morning notifying him that he had been suspended until July.

It comes after Noël alleged publicly that firefighters' work was hampered by low water pressure on June 11 as they fought the blaze that destroyed St. Paul's Catholic Church, a 120-year-old landmark in the Gatineau community of Aylmer.

The letter said Noël was disloyal to the city and had contravened a policy requiring employees to get permission from the city's communications department before speaking to the media.

City officials declined to comment on Noël's suspension Friday.

Noël was one of the firefighters who battled the church fire. In an interview with CBC's French- language service Radio-Canada in November, Noël reported that there had not been enough water pressure on the day of the blaze to allow firefighters to do their jobs properly.

He acknowledged that even with sufficient water pressure, firefighters probably would not have been able to save the church. However, he said, he worried about the risks posed by low water pressure for nearby residents.

The Interwest Church Mutual Insurance Company, which insured the church, subsequently filed a $3.8-million lawsuit against the city based partly on Noël's comments.

Contract delays expected

The city maintains that water pressure is sufficient throughout Gatineau.

On Friday, Noël said he believes the suspension contravenes his right to free expression.

"I think this is a first for a union president," Noël said in French.

He added that six months is a long time, and the suspension could delay the resolution of labour issues between the city and its firefighters.

The firefighters have been without a contract for two years. Meetings with an arbitrator had been scheduled for the next few weeks, but will likely need to be postponed in Noël's absence.

Noël said he will speak with the union's lawyers before deciding how to respond.

In November, police arrested a man in connection with the church fire, but he was released without charges.

Noël was one of the firefighters on the scene the day fire tore through St. Paul's Catholic Church in the Gatineau community of Aylmer on June 11. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC)