Legislative Assembly of Ontario
http://www.ontla.on.ca/hansard/house_debates/37_parl/Session4/index.htm  

Monday, May 5

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I know members of this assembly will want to join in welcoming to this chamber ambulance dispatchers from across Ontario, members of OPSEU.

PETITIONS

Mr David Ramsay (Timiskaming-Cochrane): This is a petition to solve the staffing crisis at Ontario's ambulance dispatch centres.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the 12 ambulance dispatch centres run by the provincial government are chronically short-staffed;

"Whereas the Ministry of Health has admitted that only 30% of our new hirees are staying;

"Whereas the government-commissioned report by the IBI Group of October 2001 said that the rapid turnover in staff is attributed to high workload, stress and relatively low wages;

"Whereas the IBI Group report said the dispatchers at other emergency services `earn considerably higher wages for relatively lower workloads';

"Whereas the dispatching of ambulances is a key link in the chain of emergency response;

"Whereas the report recommended increasing the wages of provincial ambulance dispatchers to reflect the current market and the complexity of dispatcher functions;

"Whereas the report said that this would `reduce the high staff turnover and attract qualified staff';

"Whereas chronic short-staffing and high staff turnover at our ambulance dispatch centres is a major risk to public safety;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

"To protect our emergency health services and the health and safety of Ontario citizens, the Ontario government must immediately and fully implement all the recommendations of the IBI Group report, including wage parity with other emergency service dispatch centres."

Tuesday, May 6

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

Mr David Christopherson (Hamilton West): I rise in my place today to bring to the attention of the government and the public an existing and growing crisis that exists within the area of public safety. I'm talking about the ambulance dispatchers. Many government members should know that, right now, we only have a retention rate of 30% of new ambulance dispatchers. What's happening is, people are being hired by the Ministry of Health and are being trained, but because of the poor wages and the wage differential -- and I'm talking $10,000 to $20,000 a year now -- what happens is once the Ministry of Health has trained these dispatchers, they then move on to the fire or police world, where dispatchers are paid what they're worth.

What's happening is that where the guidelines, your guidelines, say there should be a two-minute response, because we're so short-staffed in a lot of these dispatch centres, it's taking up to six minutes. We have people working in the dispatch centres who are having to have their own emergency personnel come to their workplace because these workers are dropping because of the pressure and the stress. We have people who are answering 911 phone calls who have been on the job anywhere from 16 to 24 hours. That's a recipe for disaster. In fact, OPSEU has examples where people's lives have been at risk. In one case, they believe it directly attributed to the shortage of staff.

You have the power to do something. Use that power. Save Ontario lives.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): For the Minister of Public Security to talk about emergency preparedness and his Conservative government in the same sentence is the penultimate oxymoron. This government can promise more cops, but until it delivers them, they are nothing but shallow promises. A thousand new cops, my foot. It'll be the same as it was before, and any new police officers will simply be replacing the rolls of retired police officers. The fact is that you've downloaded so many costs on to communities like regional Niagara, like every other community in this province, that they can't afford to hire adequate policing, they can't afford to have adequate staffing in their police forces.

You want to talk about emergency preparedness? Talk about ensuring that there's adequate funding and resources for municipalities to ensure minimum staffing for firefighting services. You've abandoned firefighters just like you've abandoned cops in Ontario.

Only yesterday ambulance dispatchers were here at Queen's Park warning you about the incredible crisis, the risk of loss of life. I say to you that lives will be lost until you attend to the needs of ambulance dispatchers promptly. The disparity in wages by ambulance dispatchers, members of OPSEU, from dispatchers in other sectors is so extreme that there's but a 30% retention rate in new hires. Ambulance dispatchers are working 16- and 24-hour days. People are going to die in this province. It's because of this government, and I tell you, you'd better accept that responsibility, because others are imposing it on you.

 

Ambulance Dispatch Campaign Index