New data obtained by CTV News through freedom of information (FOIP) requests shows Calgary’s ambulance system remains under severe pressure — with thousands of “orange alerts,” a growing number of pending 911 calls, and rural units increasingly dispatched into the city to keep pace with demand. The internal records, covering the first half of 2025, detail how thin staffing levels and mounting overtime hours have left front-line crews struggling to respond to emergencies as quickly as they should. Thousands of alerts and delayed responses In June 2025 alone, 5,382 hospital offload delays were recorded across 21,187 total EMS events — meaning roughly a quarter of all ambulance responses were tied up waiting to hand off patients at emergency departments. Time taken away due to offload delays has led to an increase in the number of “orange alerts”; where only one to three ambulances being available at a given time. According to FOIP data as seen in the chart below, both Calgary and Edmonton experienced more than 2,800 orange alerts alone in the month of August. “Every time there’s an orange alert, it means Calgary has run out of available ambulances and this is happening literally thousands of times each month,” said Don Sharpe, principal at wheresmyambulance.com, a community watchdog that analyzes EMS data. Sharpe, now 67, retired as an advanced care paramedic in 2022 after a 40-year career, but he kept his licence after hearing about concerns of burnout in Calgary. “When that happens, there’s no one left to send to an emergency until a crew clears a hospital, or a rural unit drives into the city,” Sharpe said. “That means long response times across the city.” Today, he continues to work part-time as a paramedic for a private ambulance service in the city. “It’s so desperate right now,” he said. “Our leadership is unable or unwilling to change anything. The staff morale is terrible.” Calgary Stampede EMS resources pushed ‘to the limit’ The 2025 Calgary Stampede specifically marked one of the most severe stress tests of the system. Over the 10-day festival, Calgary EMS logged on average 80 orange alerts per day, peaking at 193 alerts in a single 24-hour period. This year, between July 4 and July 14, there were 6,751 ambulance events, according to the FOIP records, representing yet another increase in call volumes since 2022. All the while, staffing levels dipped to 89.4 per cent during the Calgary Stampede, with overnight shifts as low as 78 per cent staffed. While having eight to nine out of 10 available workers might sound reasonable, Sharpe says it’s putting severe strain on the system. “It’s predictable pressure — every year the Stampede pushes resources to the limit,” Sharpe said. “What the data shows this time is we still weren’t prepared despite knowing it was coming.” Low staffing levels and increasing pending calls Calgary’s EMS system was staffed at roughly 92 per cent capacity this spring (March to June), an improvement from 88.5 per cent in 2023 and 89.9 per cent in 2024, but those numbers dwindle in the summer months. Some night shifts fell below 70 per cent, leaving dispatchers with limited crews to cover the city. A closer look at the number of logged on and funded hours for Calgary metro units also shows that some shifts, specifically an overnight shift on Saturday Aug. 23, saw staffing levels dip to as low as 58.9 per cent. These lower staffing levels have also meant that calls for ambulances are going into “pending.” “That’s a true red alert,” said Sharpe. A pending call occurs when there are no available ambulances to send to an emergency. The call is basically put on hold, says Sharpe, until someone is available to respond. “So if you phone for an ambulance and the calls get put in, you can’t even be assured there is actually an ambulance on the way to your house, and there’s no way to check.” From May to July, there were thousands of calls put into “pending” in Calgary, including 3,126 of them occurring in the month of August. “There are people out there right now who are waiting for an ambulance who aren’t going to get one in time,” Sharpe said. “People are losing their lives because there’s not an ambulance available. And regardless of what happens in this, in this organization, we have to get ambulances to these critically ill and injured patients.” Rural ambulances pulled into the city The FOIP data also highlights how frequently suburban and rural ambulances are redeployed to Calgary to fill coverage gaps. In June alone, Airdrie ambulances were sent into Calgary 48 times, Cochrane units 33 times, and Okotoks units 76 times — up from 68 in May. “It’s become routine for rural crews to end up in Calgary,” Sharpe said. “That’s bad for both sides — rural residents lose coverage, and city crews are stretched even thinner.” The FOIP documents indicate that these redeployments often happen when multiple orange alerts are active, creating ripple effects across the region. Overtime and sick leave costing ‘millions of dollars’ Overtime for Calgary Zone EMS paramedics has continued to climb: In the first half of 2025, paramedics logged an average of 14,161 hours of monthly overtime which adds up to roughly $1.1 million per month in added costs Those numbers are from 11,345 hours in 2023 and 14,201 in 2024. Sharpe says translated into 12-hour shifts, that’s over 1,180 shifts per month plugged with overtime data, pointing to a pattern of “sustained overextension” that’s wearing down front-line workers. “When you have a system that’s short-staffed every night and routinely relies on overtime to fill gaps, you’re setting people up for burnout,” he said. “This isn’t a one-off problem anymore — it’s become the norm.” Sharpe adds that sick leave hours remain high as well. “Sick time is through the roof because people are exhausted and not coming to work because they can’t deal with response times that aren’t improving.” From March to June 2025, FOIP records show Calgary paramedics averaged 7,883 sick hours per month. This is the equivalent of losing 656 shifts each month. These numbers are an improvement from last year’s average of 8,491 total sick hours, but a large increase from the 2023 average of 6,853 hours during that time period. Sharpe admitted that there is some progress being made by Alberta Health Services in improving the number of shifts that are left vacant. In 2023, there was an average of 187 monthly vacancies from March to June which has now been reduced to 110 on average each month in 2025. That said, Sharpe doesn’t believe AHS should be celebrating gains when they’re only offset by overtime, sick leave, and an increasing number of people who are being denied positions to work as paramedics in the Calgary zone. “There’s almost 200 vacancies right now and I think AHS has hired nine or 10 people per city, that’s not acceptable,” Sharpe said. “I’ve talked to people all the time who send us letters and, and phone me and say, listen, I’ve tried to get hired, but I can’t seem to get in. They’ve applied for five or six positions and I go, I don’t understand why they’re being rejected, these are competent providers with lots of private industry experience.” Culture of ‘exhaustion and fear’ A Calgary-area paramedic, who agreed to speak with CTV News on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing their job, described morale among colleagues as “the worst it’s ever been.” It’s pretty bad these days,” the paramedic said. “The overtime is non-stop. You can get as much of it as you want, and we still can’t fill all of our ambulances.” Despite organizational changes within Alberta Health Services, the paramedic said the “culture of fear and intimidation is still very much alive.” “Even though this new organization has been stood up, and they say all these big, grandiose things about how they’re going to be more focused on their medics, it’s just not translating onto the street,” they said. “We’re still finding ourselves down to one-, two-, three-car alerts all the time, still getting stuck in hallways.” The paramedic went on to criticize recent attempts to ease demand for ambulances, including a pilot program referring low-priority 911 callers to nurses and taxis. “This new taxi thing has turned into a complete dud,” they said. “People can just opt out of getting the taxi — it’s not a real fix. It’s just a Band-Aid solution, just like every other solution this management team has brought in.” The paramedic noted that front-line staff aren’t given authority to safely decline unnecessary ambulance transports. “They will not give medics the ability to say, ‘We don’t need to transport you with these minor symptoms.’” They added that staffing shortages, particularly nights and weekends also make it difficult to maintain service. “You can’t get medics to come in. You can’t even get them to come in on double time to fill ambulances,” “There are nights that are 70 per cent staffed or 60 per cent staffed and you just know you’re not going to stop all night.” The anonymous sources closed by saying amidst all of the issues they’re experiencing on the front lines, the toll on medics is both physical and emotional. “You just become apathetic to it all,” “The compassion fatigue is real. We’re just being run into the ground and nobody seems to care.” AHS responds In a statement to CTV News Calgary, Alberta Health Services (AHS) said it continues to make “significant progress” on recruitment, retention, and response-time improvements. “Being available for Albertans who need emergency support is of the utmost importance to Emergency Health Services (EHS) – Alberta,” the agency said. “EHS performance is measured by response times, and we’re making significant improvements. “Since November 2022, Calgary’s 90th percentile response time has fallen from 28.3 minutes to 14.2 minutes, while Edmonton’s has decreased from 17.7 to 15.6 minutes. “These gains are partly due to faster patient transfers in Emergency Departments. Total hospital time in Calgary has dropped from 4.7 hours to 1.8 hours, and in Edmonton from 4.7 hours to 1.8 hours. Real progress has been made, and we will continue working to reduce these times further.” AHS noted that staffing levels have also increased in recent years. “In 2024, 420 new staff members were hired, including 296 paramedics — 164 in full-time positions, 129 as casual, and three in part-time roles. So far this year, 330 new staff members have joined, including 226 paramedics, with 137 hired full-time, 10 part-time, and 79 as casual employees,” the statement said. The agency added that, despite rising call volumes, the proportion of calls requiring ambulances from outside Calgary has dropped significantly, from 9.3 per cent in 2022 to 1.4 per cent in 2024. AHS also highlighted initiatives to improve working conditions and support mental health for front-line staff, including collaborative scheduling, fatigue management, expanded peer support, and wellness services. “Reducing hospital offload delays is an important part of keeping ambulances available. The Return to Service initiative is designed to get front-line EHS staff back to their community as quickly as possible after providing patient transport to an emergency department.” The agency closed by pointing to a six-month pilot program with Health Link 811 to expand the 911 Shared Response Program in Calgary and Edmonton. “The program provides alternative transportation for low-acuity patients who need in-person medical assessment but do not require an ambulance. “Since its launch in January 2023, more than 50,000 EHS 911 callers were assessed as low acuity and provided support by Health Link 811, keeping more ambulances available for higher acuity calls and reducing pressures on emergency departments.” “Albertans should be assured they will receive the care they need. If people need emergency care, we strongly urge them to call 911 or visit an emergency department,” AHS concluded. The agency did not dispute the FOIP figures showing rising overtime and persistent offload delays. Province defends EMS plan The Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Services said the province remains focused on “stabilizing and modernizing” emergency medical services (EMS) delivery across Alberta. “The key measure of EHS performance is response times. We’re working to get ambulances to patients faster, and we’re making progress,” the ministry said in a written statement. “Since November 2022, Calgary’s response time has dropped from 28.3 minutes to 14.2 minutes at the 90th percentile, while Edmonton’s has decreased from 17.7 minutes to 15.6 minutes. Part of that improvement comes from reducing delays in transferring patients in emergency departments. “Total hospital time in Calgary has dropped by more than half, from 4.7 hours to 1.8 hours, and in Edmonton from 4.7 hours to 1.8 hours. “That’s real progress, and we’ll keep working to bring those times down further.” Initiatives The ministry highlighted several initiatives to support front-line staff and strengthen EMS operations. These include the creation of the Alberta Emergency Medical Services Standing Committee, the introduction of two new grant programs under the Rural Health Action Plan, and the establishment of a dedicated provincial health corporation to oversee emergency health services. “The Alberta EMS Standing Committee, launched in April 2024, includes front-line paramedics, municipalities, Indigenous representatives, and other community partners,” the statement said. “The committee provides recommendations to improve the EHS workforce, establish performance standards, and inform the provincial EHS performance framework.” The Rural Health Action Plan includes an $800,000 Medical First Responder (MFR) Grant Program to support new MFR programs in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, and a $600,000 Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Education Grant to fund training in 26 communities. In addition, the transition of emergency health services to a new provincial health corporation under Acute Care Alberta, effective Sept. 1, 2025, is intended to improve coordination, access to resources, and operational focus for EHS employees. The ministry said operating plans are being modernized to align with industry best practices, improve response times to critical calls, and maintain resources across suburban and rural communities. “The EHS corporation will explore all options to ensure services are delivered effectively across the province and will ensure that both local and provincial EHS providers have the resources they need,” the statement said. ‘Egregious claims’ on 811 transfer data Newly released provincial records show thousands of emergency calls referred from Alberta’s 911 system to Health Link’s 811 service were returned to paramedics — a result patient advocates say undermines the province’s claims about the program’s effectiveness. According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) request, 32,981 events were referred and connected to 811 using the EMS/811 Shared Response process between January 2023 and October 2024. The data also shows 2,406 instances where 811 nurses were unable to respond within the three-minute time limit required under contract, forcing the calls to automatically bounce back to EMS dispatch. ‘Capable people who feel used’ Overall, nearly one-third (30 per cent) of shared response calls were later returned to EMS due to transport needs, while 22 per cent were sent back for clinical reasons — cases where 811 nurses determined patients needed immediate medical care or hospital transport. Another six per cent were returned after the patient disconnected or could not be reached. “This was a pretty big FOIP because we knew a lot of calls were coming right back to EMS,” said Sharpe. “811 had no plan to actually move patients they were talking to,” he added. “The data shows clearly that when nurses don’t respond within three minutes, those calls bounce straight back to AHS automatically.” He added that the province’s public claims about 811 easing EMS workload don’t align with the data. “The director of the 811 system claimed 50,000 calls were relieved from EMS burden — that’s just not true,” Sharpe said. “More than half bounced right back because 811 was incapable of finding these people a ride. That’s staggering to me.” Sharpe suggested the province consider using private paramedical providers to handle non-urgent transports and also criticized the Alberta EMS Standing Committee as “a smokescreen.” “Everything was secret,” he said. “Half the people I talked to don’t even open the emails anymore. These are smart, capable people who feel used and for 18 months never once been asked what they think is the solution to a problem.” The future of EMS Despite some gains in hiring, FOIP data shows Calgary’s overall EMS system relies heavily on overtime and cross-zone redeployments to meet call volumes. Sharpe said the province’s focus on recruitment must be matched with better retention and operational planning. He specifically pointed to post-secondary programs that are also seeing declines in their enrollment, marking grim concerns for the future of EMS in Alberta. “I’ve been talking to one of the educators and he said, this is the first time he’s ever seen all three schools — NAIT, SAIT and Medicine Hat College— with their advanced care paramedic programs not full,” Sharpe said. “These are subsidized programs and they’re not full.” He also raised concerns about paramedics’ willingness to pursue advanced care training. “We’ve talked to some primary care paramedics and asked, ‘Do you want to spend another two years in school and become an advanced care paramedic?’ And they say, ‘No way, to work here in this environment for less money.’ Sharpe said the combination of low enrollment and challenging working conditions is creating an “exit plan” mindset among staff. “In fact, there’s so many people looking for an exit plan that it’s depressing. It’s tough to hear this for a guy like me who’s spent 40 years as a paramedic and started out in a small town with a bunch of volunteers.” “We made so many great strides before AHS took over, and now it just seems like it’s just gotten worse and worse.”
