The general manager of Guelph Wellington Paramedic Services says it is “a bit of an insult” that those delivering paramedic services in the province were not consulted about proposed changes the province plans to make.
On Monday the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs learned of plans by the province to amalgamate 52 paramedic services into 10.
What, when and how that might happen remains to be seen, said Stephen Dewar, because there has been no discussion about it.
“I don’t have a lot of answers for you. I have just as many questions,” Dewar said at the weekly Breezy Corners breakfast meeting hosted by city councillors Phil Allt and James Gordon.
“I can tell you that it caught us by surprise .... Not consulting with our group is a bit of an insult.”
Up until 1996 paramedic services were run by the province mostly through private contractors.
In 2000 paramedic services were downloaded to the municipalities and 50 per cent of the budget is paid for by the municipality and 50 per cent by the province.
“It’s actually about 70 per cent paid for by the municipalities,” Dewar said, adding that the current system is much better than the previous one where there was “some profit-based incentives.”
That previous switch in how the service was provided took four years to implement, Dewar said, “and I would suggest that this is even more complicated, because you’re somehow negotiating a divorce.”
“For the province to say that we’re somehow going to assume the services back and somehow amalgamate them, we don’t know how that’s going to work,” he said.
Dewar said he has read that the move is intended to save $200 million, which is about 20 per cent of the overall budget for the services in the province.
“It’s a little bit insulting to suggest that we - as the city as one example - has 20 per cent that could easily be saved … I don’t see any savings at all.”
You still need the same number of paramedics, stations, ambulances and supervisors, Dewar said.
“There really isn’t any fat in our budget,” he said. “I don’t know where they come up with any kind of savings out of this.”
Dewar said paramedics will continue to provide the same high level of service, but what the proposed changes will mean remains to be seen.
Issues such as different bargaining groups, pensions and the relationship between city and county services are all part of the apprehension.
“There’s a lot of anxiety for paramedics right now. They don’t know who they are going to work for.”
