Red Deer city council to make decision on future of ambulance services on May 12

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They also spent over an hour and a half in a closed meeting where they were given details that can’t be shared publicly.

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“I want to assure our public today that we are building towards that decision on May 12,” Lodewyk said. “On May 12, council will be asked to provide direction on whether the city is willing to fund the gap between the provincial funding and the service delivery costs for ambulance. The direction will inform whether administration proceeds with negotiations with EHS or whether other options are pursued, including bidding or exiting service delivery. This is a big decision for our community, and it is a result of the provincial notice that was provided on our contract… This is a complex decision. This is weighing several things, our financial stability, talking about service levels and our delivery of that, it’s many of our workforce considerations, and it impacts many of our staff. It talks about what the city’s role not only today but in the future of ambulance delivery.”

Administration supplied council with multiple options to choose from for next week, including:

• Continuing to provide EMS integrated services (additional tax-supported funding required) – whether through a reduced-cost branch model or through a fully-funded integrated model. 

• Maintaining current funding levels and pursuing a competitive process within the current allocated budget (no additional tax-supported funding required).

• Transitioning out of EMS service delivery entirely (no tax increase).

“There are no simple answers in front of Council. This is a decision with many layers, and it’s important we take the time to fully understand the implications. We want to acknowledge the strong interest and perspectives in our community and ensure they are considered respectfully as we move forward,” said Mayor Cindy Jefferies in a media release. 

This comes after the city was given an extension in March from Alberta’s Emergency Health Services (EHS) to decide whether it will continue to be the contracted service provider for ambulance services in Red Deer.

They obliged and extended the deadline from March 31 to May 24 to renew the current contract. The city asked for an extension because they felt two weeks was too rushed. However, the deadline to respond to negotiations with the province is set for May 31.

More specifically, they were asked to match the EHS benchmark costs with the difference in any cost to come from Red Deer taxpayers or to not deliver the ambulance service, and EHS would then go out for a request for proposal.

The last time council visited this topic on March 24, they approved a resolution to authorize Mayor Cindy Jefferies to collaborate with other mayors representing integrated service delivery models in preparing and sending a joint letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis.

For background, the City of Red Deer has a contract with the province to deliver ground ambulance services in Red Deer, which includes eight ambulances.

They deliver it through an integrated model, and all of the city’s firefighters are also paramedics, who can serve on either a fire apparatus or an ambulance. There are life support capabilities on the fire engines as well as the ambulances.

In total, there are only seven other municipalities in the province that deliver this kind of model. This includes Red Deer, Leduc, St. Albert, Lethbridge, Strathcona County, Spruce Grove, and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

The current contract to deliver the services was negotiated approximately two years ago. The term of the contract was to go until Sept. 30, 2026. Previously, the city signed contracts to deliver EMS through an integrated model in 2009, 2014, and 2024.

Executive Director of Corporate Performance & Supports for the City of Red Deer, Tricia Hercina, thanked the community for their patience through this process.

“There’s a lot of anxiety out there about what’s happening, as well as for our staff who are dealing with this on a daily basis. We have a tough conversation to have, and there are many competing priorities for our community on this one. It’s been a difficult conversation in-house as well as it will be for council.”