Mayor's Statement - Community Update on EMS

I know many residents are concerned about the future of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Lethbridge due to changes in the Provincial funding model. This uncertainty has also been incredibly challenging for the dedicated firefighters and paramedics of Lethbridge Fire & Emergency Services (LFES), who continue to serve our community with professionalism and care every day.

We hear these concerns and are committed to keeping residents and staff informed as we work through this complex issue. Today, I want to share an update on where things stand, what actions have been taken, and what we know at this time.

Communication with the Government of Alberta

Last week, we met with the Honourable Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services. This meeting was arranged in follow-up to the Government of Alberta’s June announcement that they would be pausing their approach to EMS contracts with the seven integrated Fire & EMS services across the province. 

While we appreciated the opportunity to discuss this issue, the Provincial Government has not changed its position on the proposed EMS funding model. Through these conversations, the City was advised that it would still need to agree, in advance, to meet the EHS benchmark rate but were now given until April 1, 2028, to do so.

At this point, we have only been offered a delay of one year to reduce costs towards the current benchmark rate which, in our opinion, is not realistically achievable.

Earlier today we received a letter from the Minister outlining the intent to conduct a third-party review of the EHS benchmark rate. This includes a request for Lethbridge to participate in the review process. We are encouraged by this news as it provides us with the opportunity to articulate the unique aspects of EMS delivery in our community.

While we are hopeful the review will address some of the concerns we have already identified, it might also result in the rate staying the same or going down even further. This does add another level of uncertainty. The review is not expected to be completed until the end of September and at this time, it would be fiscally irresponsible of Council to change their direction and agree to these unknown costs.

Council’s decision remains in place

Given the funding model has not changed and the benchmark rate is under review, we have sent a letter to EHS advising them that we cannot meet their current requirement but continue to be open to further negotiations.

This leaves us in the same spot we were in when we made the decision not to accept these conditions earlier this year.  Lethbridge taxpayers would still be on the hook for a substantial tax increase that would continue to grow due to projected wage and other inflationary cost increases. Based on our initial analysis, we estimate a $4.2 million increase in 2028, $4.6 million in 2029 and this number would continue to grow year-over-year.

The question Council has had to grapple with is this – can our community shoulder the cost of this decision? This is an ongoing, long-term, significant financial commitment in an area that is not within the municipal jurisdiction. We would essentially be asking our residents to pay twice for EMS services. Once through provincial taxes and again through municipal taxes.

Even though we’ve heard from some residents that they would be willing to pay extra for integrated Fire & EMS, we know this is not fair or sustainable for much of our community. The delivery of health care is a provincial responsibility. That is the reason Council made the decision to not accept the EHS contract conditions and we continue to stand-by that decision today.

Council must also consider other community needs that are the municipality’s responsibility. This includes the costs of critical upgrades to our water and wastewater treatment plants that are now underway. All of these factors play into our decision making.  

Continuing to look for solutions

I do want to thank the Minister for opening up these important conversations. We have already had some meaningful discussions and have expressed our desire to explore all options that would help reduce the cost of delivering our integrated service in anticipation of a future procurement process. We are also always open to further negotiations with the Province to find a Lethbridge specific solution.

As a Council, we support our integrated model and the steps taken in the last collective agreement to modernize our delivery by creating an EMS division. We also appreciate the dedicated men and women who protect our community every day and fully understand how important EMS is for our residents. Our decisions have been rooted in finding the important balance of having reliable emergency services in a way that is financially sustainable for Lethbridge.

At the end of this important process, we do hope to still be the organization providing EMS to our community. The most important thing for our residents to know is, through all of these talks and regardless of who the provider is, our community will not be without emergency medical services.

If you still have questions, I encourage you to visit https://getinvolvedlethbridge.ca/ems-contract. Here we have compiled the full background, timeline, decisions and context to this complex issue. I also want to thank everyone who has reached out and shared their concerns with Council. An engaged community is a community that cares and that passion and dedication has shone through during this difficult time.

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed on this important issue.