Alberta Mayors -- LNN via ZOOM

By Connor Gunn

Mayors plea to Kenney: take action on 911 EMS dispatch consolidation

Oct 20, 2020 | 4:47 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB– Just days after Alberta’s Health Minister, Tyler Shandro, affirmed the decision to consolidate EMS Dispatch services, Alberta Mayors are going higher-up to take action.

Mayors of Red Deer, Lethbridge, Calgary, and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo held a meeting through ZOOM to get the word out they’re looking to Premier Jason Kenney to cancel consolidation.

The Mayors are appealing to the Premier to reverse the United Conservative’s plan to centralize EMS dispatch.

“This is an issue of life and death.” Says Mayor of Red Deer Tara Veer.

The projected model from the Alberta Government, shows wait times will be slowed barely but as Veer says, in a matter of seconds, it could cost someone their life.

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Mayor of Lethbridge, Chris Spearman, says 10 people will lose their jobs in the Lethbridge area and the current wait times are 30 seconds faster than the proposed model.

“The lack of transparency confirms that this is a shortsighted and reckless decision,” says, Spearman.

Now, the mayors will see if Jason Kenney will do anything about how the model currently has EMS dispatching planned.

The proposed plan is trying to save money for the Provincial government, but Spearman says for Lethbridge it will actually cost more to change the way EMS dispatching is currently handled.

According to Spearman, it will cost more than $5 million annually for Lethbridge than what it currently does.

Shortly after the ZOOM meeting, the Premier’s office sent out the following statement.

“60% of the province and most cities and towns – including Edmonton – already operate successfully under AHS dispatch.”