TORONTO – The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care says it will end bulk buying of ambulances and ambulance equipment, a move that will immediately drive up costs for municipalities.
Ministry managers told workers at Fleet and Equipment Services (FES) on April 1 that Cabinet had approved the closure of its warehouse operation in Etobicoke.
“Fleet and Equipment Services saves taxpayers money by buying ambulances and ambulance equipment at wholesale prices and selling directly to municipalities at cost,” said Leah Casselman, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. “Now, every municipality will be forced to pay retail prices, at an extra cost of tens of thousands of
dollars per vehicle. This is a stupid move. We are calling on the Liberal government to reverse this decision immediately.”
The decision to close the FES warehouse was made without consulting the union, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, or the two major vendors of ambulance equipment, all of whom support keeping the operation as is, Casselman said.
“This closure decision is completely unacceptable,” she said. “Ontarians voted for change, not more of the senseless cuts and downloading we experienced under the Tories.”
During the 2003 election campaign, Etobicoke-Lakeshore Liberal MPP Laurel Broten vowed to work to keep the facility open. “I am committed to fight to keep jobs in this community,” she told the Etobicoke Guardian. “I have the ear of my leader to make sure that Etobicoke-Lakeshore is not forgotten.”
For an updated fact sheet on Fleet and Equipment Services, go to http://www.opseu.org/news/Press2003/Judsonbriefingnote.Apr0204.PDF.
– 30 –
For more information: Randy Robinson (416) 448-7441; (416) 788-9134
