The Region of Waterloo is getting bigger and getting older.
Those factors and more though are continuing to put more strain on the local paramedic service, which is asking for a hefty budget boost.
However, the region's top paramedic is making it clear that our locality is not alone in needing to staff-up.
"Every service in the province has been experiencing issues, whether with call volume, whether it's offload delay, and certainly with budgetary issues, that's pretty universal across the province," Stephen Van Valkenburg, the region's Chief of Paramedic Services told the region's Community Services Committee Tuesday.
He said there are a number of different factors at play but the end result is response times are going up pretty much province-wide.
"We're certainly not unique in this particular issue," Van Valkenburg said. "We certainly are, I would say, somewhat more challenged than some of the other services, but they're all experiencing similar issues."
So what's the ask?
The motion, which was approved unanimously in committee, is to potentially add dozens of new ambulances and dozens more new paramedics.
This includes three 12-hour ambulances added this year, eight in 2023, and approval to pre-order up to 17 more by 2024.
It also includes funding for another 55 full-time equivalent paramedics, and the total budget increase is being ball-parked at around $10-million each year.
Both the region's top paramedic, meantime, and the region itself are also looking to the province for help -- specifically on slashing how long it takes paramedics to offload patients at the hospital.
Van Valkenburg said it's an issue the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs is also setting its sights on.
"Pushing back on the government saying this is a healthcare issue, this is not a municipal issue, this is not something that municipalities or paramedics can fix so they need to step up to the table and address that particular issue."
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