Chatham-Kent taxpayers will be paying more for their paramedics and ambulance services in the coming years if Council approves a new contract.
On Monday night at their meeting, councillors will be asked to approve a new five year $82.9 million contract with Medavie from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029. That's a 23.3 per cent increase from the previous deal with the Ministry of Health paying 50 per cent of the contract.
A report authored by CK Fire Chief Chris Case showed the annual land ambulance cost will jump from just over $14.2 million in 2024 to nearly $17.9 million in 2029.
Chief Case said all payroll, benefits, pensions, and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) costs are paid by Medavie and don't cost the municipality any additional money for these benefits or administration.
"From a service delivery perspective, to have paramedics within the Municipal structure provides opportunities for closer partnerships, deployments, and innovation. However, Chatham-Kent has the benefit of not directly employing paramedics with HR aspects such as WSIB, negotiations, etc., which we currently engage at a fixed contract price," Case noted. "We have previously gone through the Request for Proposal process and at that time Medavie was the only bidder. We have good connections within the industry, and as such were able to benchmark costs and confirm that no other providers are offering paramedic services in Ontario."
Chief Case wrote that Chatham-Kent is one of a few municipalities that still contracts out land ambulance service since the province downloaded Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to upper-tier municipalities 24 years ago. The fire chief said the majority of municipalities provide a direct delivery model for EMS.
Medavie began providing land ambulance service to the municipality in 2012.
"All ambulances, equipment and EMS stations are owned by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and Medavie provides staffing and oversight of the Land Ambulance Service contract," Chief Case wrote.
CK currently has 14 ambulances, three support vehicles for supervisors, three vehicles for the Community Paramedicine program, and a mobile support trailer, according to the chief.
The municipally also owns six EMS stations in Chatham, Wallaceburg, Tilbury, Thamesville, Ridgetown and Blenheim.
The chief's report stated Medavie Chatham-Kent employs one full-time general manager, four full-time managers, four full-time supervisors, five part-time supervisors, one administration staff out of the Chatham Headquarters, along with 123 unionized staff, comprised of 87 full-time paramedics and 36 part-time paramedics.