Amid a record year for emergency calls, Saskatoon’s ambulance service has turned to Australia for a pool of new recruits. Troy Davies, spokesperson for Medavie Health Services West, says they’ve hired nearly a dozen new paramedics from Australia to help meet the demand for service. The first two new recruits landed in Saskatoon on Wednesday, with the rest expected in the next six to eight weeks. “There’s definitely a need for us to get them here as soon as possible,” said Davies. “Our call volumes have gone up across the province, from medical calls to mental health calls.” Saskatoon paramedics responded to over 1,700 more calls in 2023 than the previous year. Last week, the province announced an extra $2.6 million in annual funding for Saskatoon to provide two more fully-staffed ambulances and an additional community paramedic. Davies says they’re grateful for the added resources and hope to get those ambulances on the streets of Saskatoon as soon as possible. The province has also moved to increase the number of seats in the Sask. Polytech paramedic training programs, but Davies says those students won’t be job ready for at least a year. He says Medavie has had an ongoing recruitment program in Australia for a few years because their training level is similar to that in Saskatchewan. “Prior to COVID, we’ve taken multiple Australian students who came and did their clinical time with us,” said Davies. “It was easier for them to come do it in Canada because they have such a backlog in Australia to do their ride along times while you’re a student, so we already had a relationship with their training facility in Australia.” He says it’s the first time Medavie has recruited from overseas. “We’re excited to see what happens.”
