‘It’s a gamble’: Lethbridge city council doesn’t accept provincial contract conditions

Lethbridge city council has voted not to accept Emergency Health Services Alberta’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.

“We’re in that for further negotiations,” said Mayor Blaine 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 city council heard the province does not have to enter negotiations with the city and can directly move to a request-for-proposal process to bring in a contracted outside service provider to operate EMS.

“What we’ve done and what today’s motion means is we’re gambling on the province to come to negotiations with us, and I don’t think we can gamble on that,” said Coun. Jenn Schmidt-Rempel.

Moving away from the integrated fire-EMS model would be less expensive than keeping it, according to the city.

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 result in the loss of 70 EMS and support staff.

“To say we’re disappointed would be an understatement,” said Brent Nunweiler, Lethbridge Firefighters IAFF Local 237 president.

“What we did hear from council today was that they would like to maintain the integrated service, however, today’s vote makes that process extremely difficult.”

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

If not, EHS will move to a contracted outside company to operate ground ambulances at a cheaper cost.

On March 24, council voted unanimously to not accept the province’s proposed increase and continue with negotiations.

However, since that vote, Schmidt-Rempel says council was given more information about the total cost, and because of that, she brought forward a motion to rescind the previous decision and to have a revote during Tuesday’s meeting.

The rescindment vote was defeated 7-2, with councillor’s Belinda Crowson and Schmidt-Rempel voting in favour to have a revote.

As a result, the previously approved decision from March stands.

Schmidt-Rempel says residents she spoke with were willing to pay the increase.

“We will find out from residents what they value, but really in acknowledging what the residents have commented on and how we’ve kind of told them we don’t value their opinion, we’re not listening to what they value in these service levels that they’re talking about with the EMS,” she said.

“How do they trust us going forward when we’re doing further service level discussions?”

Council also voted (7–2) not to extend the current contract beyond its end date of September 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 Nunweiler.

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