Funding for an expansion of the region’s paramedic services is in question as the provincial government continues its cuts.
The Region of Waterloo says it will be faced with a funding shortage for paramedic services after it had budgeted for an increase.
Originally, the plan was to add two ambulances and 10 paramedics to the region’s services, but the province has rolled back its funding to the same level as 2017 and 2018. Regional Chair Karen Redman says that presents a problem, because the region is rapidly growing and requires more services.
“Really what they’ve done is flatlined any kind of funding that we have for paramedic services, not taking into account that we are a region that is enjoying a lot of growth, that we have increased needs,” Redman says.
The local paramedic union put in a formal request for more resources. This comes after an increase in code red situations, where there are more calls than local ambulances.
Regional council approved two 12-hour ambulances and the additional paramedics.
“The opioid crisis clearly is one of the things that continues to contribute to the pressure on all of our health care service delivery models, so all of that seems to have been swept aside and they have now rolled us back to a previous number,” Redman explains.
She says she’s confident those additions to service will go ahead, but where the money will come from is a question that doesn’t yet have an answer.
