THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s city council has approved controversial changes to ambulance service provided by Superior North EMS in North Shore and Greenstone communities.
That includes consolidating ambulance bases in Nipigon and Red Rock into one, a similar consolidation for bases in Schreiber and Terrace Bay, and the closure of a base in Beardmore, redeploying its ambulance to Longlac.
The possibility has prompted vocal and near-unanimous opposition from municipalities and First Nations in those areas, with leaders raising concerns over response times and a consultation process they say didn’t allow for real input from those impacted.
With the City of Thunder Bay legislated to oversee Superior North and its delivery of services across the district, however, the decision was left in the hands of city council on Monday – prompting several district leaders to call for a change in oversight of the service.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the recommendations for consolidation and redeployment, which were included in a 10-year “master plan” received by council last year.
The changes are intended to distribute resources more effectively across the district as the paramedic service faces quickly rising call volumes, severe staffing challenges and other pressures on the system, and millions in costs to replace aging bases.
Several representatives of district communities attended Monday's meeting. After council's vote, Terrace Bay Mayor Jody Davis expressed disappointment, saying the decision sets up his community and Schreiber to compete over the location a single ambulance base.
Beardmore will retain a paramedic and a non-ambulance vehicle under the plan, which will operate on a new "community paramedicine" model, offering house calls and able to respond in case of emergencies.
However, it will leave the nearest ambulance base close to a one-hour drive away, in Geraldton or Nipigon.
