Premier Jason Kenney says progress is being made on the EMS crisis in the province.

During today's session of the municipal leaders' spring caucus, Kenney provided an update on measures being taken and how the injection of an additional $62 million, a 12.2 per cent increase, will put more ambulances on the streets and improve response times.

“EMS has been experiencing historic call volume and staffing pressures, and we’re taking action by significantly increasing EMS funding to improve capacity and access," he said.  "We’re committed to making sure EMS has the resources they need, and I thank all paramedics and EMS support staff for stepping up throughout the pandemic and continuing to be there when we need them.”

The additional funding will provide:

  • $28 million to add more ground ambulances and crews, in addition to sustainable funding for helicopter air ambulance services;
  • $22 million to increase capacity, extend ground ambulance contracts, and support integrated operations centres and inter-facility transports projects; and
  • $14 million for the “hours of work” initiative to address crew fatigue.

Both Calgary and Edmonton will receive five 24-7 ambulances over the next two fiscal years, and Airdrie is among other municipalities receiving an additional ambulance.

Darren Sandbeck, chief paramedic and senior provincial director, says the funding increase will help.

“This additional funding will allow us to add more ground ambulances and crews, which will help us better serve Alberta patients," he says in a written statement. "This investment will also allow us to move forward immediately with some of the key initiatives of our 10-point plan, including the Calgary integrated operations centre and a pilot project related to inter-facility transfers.”

Kenney listed Cochrane among the communities seeing a positive result from the launch of the metro response plan in February. He said it has reduced the number of responses being made by locally-stationed ambulances to Calgary.

He said AHS has hired 66 staff and recruitment continues and called it only a start.

"The point is, we've listened and we know EMS is important to you, to all of us, to your constituent, to the people you serve."

HSAA president Mike Parker says Jason Kenney doesn't fully understand what needs to be done to ensure people get the care they need. He says having the people available to respond is the biggest issue.

Parker points to how Calgary ambulances were left without crews for 3,200 shifts in 2021.

“AHS treats our EMS members as expendable rather than the highly valuable professionals they are,” said Parker in response to the EMS funding announcement. “Paramedics and emergency communications officers (ECO) deal with non-stop calls during any given shift and are pressured into accepting excessive overtime. They don’t get breaks and are often denied vacations. The result is unacceptably high rates of burn out, physical and psychological injury, and people leaving the profession.”

He calls for plans to retain paramedics and ECOs, train and recruit more paramedics and ECOs, and the reinstatement of harm reduction programs to ease the burden on EMS.