St. Albert to vote on ambulance service contract amid rising municipal costs

A file photo of an ambulance.

St. Albert city council will decide Tuesday if it will keep its emergency service model the way it is, thereby accepting less money from the Alberta government, or find a new bidder for local contracted ambulance and fire services.

The city was notified on March 13 that provincial funding for municipal ambulance contracts would be reduced, meaning its current integrated fire-ambulance model would not be compensated as much if it were to continue as-is.

At that time, St. Albert was one of seven integrated models in the province. Strathcona County and Red Deer both voted to keep the integrated service.

The current contract with Emergency Health Services (EHS) Alberta, which is up in September, covers most direct costs with ambulance service delivery, including staffing, but does not fully cover indirect costs, according to a Strathcona County administration report.

Leduc, Spruce Grove and Lethbridge all voted to decline the new contract. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has until 2028 to make its decision.

Ambulance services across Alberta are provided through a combination of provincial direct delivery and contracted providers, which includes private and municipal contractors.

EHS-Alberta has since transitioned to Alta Paramedic Health (APH), the province’s publicly funded emergency health services provider.

The provincial body began the process for acquiring new ground ambulance service contracts earlier this year.

The St. Albert debate and vote is set to happen in council chambers sometime Tuesday.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Kenny and Craig Ellingson