(CITY OF WINNIPEG / FILE)
WINNIPEG — The city and province have come to a deal that will ensure reliable and consistent ambulance service within Winnipeg.
The five-year agreement between the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and Shared Health sets out a new service purchase agreement between both levels of government.
As part of the deal, two additional ambulances will be added to city streets and be staffed 24/7. The deal also provides cost-recovery certainty to the City of Winnipeg and WFPS for services provided on an annual basis.
“The City of Winnipeg has provided ambulance service within Winnipeg for 48 years,” said Christian Schmidt, fire and paramedic chief, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.
“Over that time, we have worked hard to build a service-delivery model that best suits our city. I am proud that the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will continue as a unified service, providing our residents with the high-quality, compassionate and innovative emergency medical services they have come to expect from us.”
The agreement covers the period between May 10, 2023, and December 31, 2027, with an option to extend for additional five-year terms.
The province says funding will be approved annually through agreed-upon processes that allow for discussion of ongoing and continuing services as well as future patient volume increases.
For 2023, funding will consist of a combination of baseline funding of $51.9 million and one-time funding of $2.1 million for recognized cost recovery items.
Watch Wednesday’s news conference:
