Alta Paramedic Health rejects Lethbridge’s plea for more EMS contract talks

The Alberta government has rejected contract negotiations with the City of Lethbridge over its integrated Fire-EMS model.

The City of Lethbridge’s plea for more EMS contract negotiations has been rejected by the province, putting the city’s integrated fire-EMS model in limbo.

Alta Paramedic Health (APH), formerly Emergency Health Services Alberta, said it will not entertain negotiations with the City of Lethbridge for EMS contract conditions to maintain its integrated fire-EMS model.

On Tuesday, Lethbridge city council voted not to accept APH’s new contract conditions in hopes of continued negotiations, while giving the province the final decision to either carry on with the city’s integrated fire-EMS model or move to a contracted outside provider.

But on Friday, APH managing director Les Fisher told CTV News negotiations will not be happening.

“We do have to put things in place in terms of contract renewals, negotiations, getting new contracts, so the timelines to meet their current contract timelines—we have to start moving after the end of May,” said Fisher.

City council voted to not accept the current contract conditions due to the significant financial impact it would have on Lethbridge taxpayers.

However, Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen said by voting that way, it leaves the door open for further discussions and contract negotiations with the province to hopefully maintain its integrated fire-EMS model.

“We’re in that for further negotiations,” said Hyggen.

“There is that opportunity that we will not be, but we will continue to move forward as if that is going to be an option.”

But Fisher said that won’t be possible, and a request-for-proposal process will begin following the May 31 deadline.

“Cities are still welcomed to bid on those, so it doesn’t close the door—they can still enter into that competitive process,” he said.

City administration says moving away from the integrated model would be less expensive than keeping it.

Currently, the city pays the province $3.5 million to maintain the integrated model.

If council had chosen to continue down that path, the municipality would have to pay an increase of $3.7 million in 2027, which would result in a tax increase of 1.8 per cent.

That would grow to $4.2 million in 2028 and $4.6 million in 2029.

Moving to a fire-only model will still result in a tax increase of 0.5 per cent in 2027, followed by a 0.6 per cent increase in 2028 and a 0.8 per cent increase in 2029.

It will also cost the city $600,000 in 2027 to transition Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) from fire-EMS to a fire-only model.

The department would also see a loss of 70 EMS and support staff.

On March 13, the city and five other municipalities were told that before negotiations on a new EMS contract could begin, they would have to agree in advance to cover any costs above the provincial funding benchmark to continue with an integrated model.

If not, the province would move to a contracted outside company to operate ground ambulances at a cheaper cost.

“There’s a range from a few hundred thousand dollars up to a few million dollars, depending on the size of the community,” said Fisher.

Health-care advocates said the entire process only adds uncertainty to residents.

“(In) the Edmonton zone, there’s a lot of issues around red alerts and delays in ambulance care and off-loading at hospitals, whereas in Strathcona County just next door, which still has their integrated system, and they have better response times often,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare.

“There’s no reason to be blowing that up other than this real push by our government to privatize more and more services.”

The city’s current EMS contract expires on Sept. 30.

After that, the future of EMS remains unclear.

“We know that a change to the 114-year-old system we’ve been providing will mean less ambulances,” said Brent Nunweiler, Lethbridge Firefighters IAFF Local 237 president, following Tuesday’s council meeting.

“It will mean greater gaps in the system. It will mean longer response times and it will mean lives will be lost.”