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Peel Region needs to hire 22 more paramedics to deal with the growing number of emergencies in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, as ambulance response times fall below targets.

Information in Peel’s proposed 2025 budget reveals paramedics are a spending priority for the region, with around $1.5 million set aside for additional staff.

The budget must still be submitted for approval to regional councilors.

However, budget documents prepared by regional staff make a compelling argument for increasing the number of paramedics, whose numbers currently stand at around 800.

Documents show ambulances are not arriving at emergency sites as quickly as before due to the combined pressures of a growing population, longer delays in offloading patients at hospitals and staff absenteeism .

In addition to the increase in the general population, the number of seniors in Peel continues to grow, leading to an increase in health issues treated by ambulance services. So far this year, 43 per cent of patients receiving paramedic services in Peel were aged 65 or older.

“Current funding formulas do not accurately account for the increasing number of seniors and population growth, both of which result in an increased need for emergency services,” according to the proposed budget document’s rationale. “As Peel continues to support the province’s efforts to build more housing faster, as well as the influx of refugees and asylum seekers, demand continues to increase in paramedic services and across the broader community. health system. This mismatch between funding and service requirements exacerbates pressures, leading to staffing issues and slower response times.

Additionally, work pressures have led to increased absenteeism in the ranks, to the point where it equates to the equivalent of 17 off-road ambulances every day, according to the budget document.

Along with increased demand and reduced staffing levels, another strain on the system is the time spent offloading patients to hospitals where paramedics are ready to help when there are not enough hospital beds. hospitals to accommodate patients.

The budget says that due to the combined pressures, emergency response times for the most critical cases have fallen short of targets every year since 2020.

Other facts related to paramedical services:

• The top five reasons for calls are related to discomfort, trauma, abdominal pain, musculoskeletal problems,
  and difficulty breathing; 54 percent of these calls required a “lights and sirens” response.
• Paramedic Services operates four reporting stations and 22 satellite stations. These stations are placed throughout Peel Region to provide emergency coverage for the region’s 1.5 million residents and visitors.
• Paramedic services responded to an average of 378 calls per day in 2023 and an average of 398 calls per day in 2024.
• Peel paramedics continue to respond to more than 97 per cent of Peel emergency calls and the remaining 3 per cent are answered.
  by neighboring service providers due to the proximity of their vehicles. In 2023, Peel paramedics responded to 4,608 calls
  neighboring municipalities to provide a consistent service.

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