‘Kind of bittersweet”: Alberta Paramedic Association on health-care system restructuring

Alberta Paramedic Association president Len Stelmaschuk on Alberta Primetime, March 14, 2025.

President of the Alberta Paramedic Association Len Stelmaschuk joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins to discuss the transition of emergency services from Alberta Health Services to Acute Care Alberta.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: In addition to providing an update on the transition this week, the province reiterated its commitment of $60 million over three years to replace and update its fleet of EMS vehicles.

How far do you expect that funding to go in meeting needs across the province?

Len Stelmaschuk: Before we start, I just wanted to make sure that people know that the Alberta Paramedic Association is a representative type body for paramedics across the entire province, both urban and rural.

We focus on the knowledge, skills, health and wellness of our members and paramedics - whether you’re with us or not. We’re not a union or a regulatory body, and I think that’s important to understand.

When the announcement came in, I think there’s a little bit of a thought process. It said $60 million – that’s $20 million that’s already allocated, and then another 40. That seems to be very specific to Alberta Health Services only, and there’s a large number of paramedics that don’t work for Alberta Health Services today.

It’s kind of a bittersweet thing, because we’re grateful for the government of Alberta and this health minister to recognize paramedics as an integral part of the health care system, but there’s been no announcement for other areas, like contracted operators and or those outside of the AHS system.

There’s a little bit of a misunderstanding that contracted operators don’t get that, they’re all separate and on their own. We really realize that all the paramedics in the province of Alberta need equipment, need vehicles, in order to respond to emergencies and to do the work that they’re so good at.

MH: So when it comes to contracted operators, are they themselves responsible for replacing vehicles?

LS: It was mentioned in the announcement that it comes out of another pot, but it doesn’t necessarily say if there’s going to be a top up of that money. Maybe there’s going to be a future announcement to go to go with that.

I want to stress that these paramedics that are going out there today, they’re smart, caring, capable people with critical thinking skills, and they do handle all types of situations like medical emergencies, trauma emergencies. They focus on adults, pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics and even mental health and addiction. So when it comes down to money for the for the tools and the equipment - like stretchers and cardiac monitors and ambulances - everything ages.

It’s very unclear whether or not there will be extra dollars to help them as well, and I think that’s an important piece that was missed in this announcement.

MH: On that equipment side, in terms of manufacturers, where are a lot of the ambulances and tools that they use sourced from?

Could the trade war with the states throw any kind of wrench in that equation?

LS: It is difficult to say, I’m not up to date on all my trade war type things. But ambulance manufacturers are coming out of Quebec, Demers, for example - there’s Crestline in Saskatoon. All these ambulances, like the chassis, come from General Motors, for example, as one as one source. They’re built out of aluminum. So I don’t know how that’s going to change.

I know Canada has a number of these products, and we produce a number of these products, but it would be very interesting to see. When demand comes up, what I hear is that sometimes it might be as far as two years down the road before people can get the ambulance they need or they want. So there’s a lot of competition.

I think this gives maybe Alberta Health Services a little bit of an advantage over some of the smaller operators. But that’s just the perception right now. It would be nice to hear a little bit more about this from the minister from the government of Alberta.

MH: Organizationally, how do your members feel about the degree of health system restructuring that’s underway?

What are they’re expectations of this shift to Acute Care Alberta?

LS: On the whole - and you know, of course, everybody has their different opinions on everything - but I think the minister has moved in a great way to this Acute Care Alberta. Not only that, with continuing care, mental health and addictions, they are looking at the idea of spreading it out, breaking it up a little bit.

From my understanding, Acute Care Alberta will start looking at more of the contracts where AHS will become more of the operator. Really the biggest stumbling block for paramedics in the province of Alberta is that traditionally Alberta Health Services has been the contractor and the operator. I believe there are some efficiencies that will be found along the way. Time will tell.

I know it’s a great, big undertaking for the minister, and I know it’s a complex system, so there’s a lot of things going on, but the association and a number of paramedics in the province believe it’s in the right direction.

MH: Over the last number of months, we’ve been hearing about a system in crisis, about the front lines burning out.

I understand you’re also reaching out to all paramedics with an offer of assistance in dealing with PTSD?

LS: Yes, we’re teaming up with Wounded Warriors this year. We’re going to offer a free trauma and resiliency training with Wounded Warriors. It’s going to be in places like Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie.

Red Deer on April 22, Calgary, April 24, Edmonton, May 20, and Grande Prairie, May 23. A lot of times we forget about Grande Prairie, they’re so far out in the north.

It’s a free seminar for paramedics and their families. We’re going to feed you when you come there. There’s no cost there. Some people might ask about continuing education credits through our regulatory body. That’s unknown at this point in time. But this is an opportunity to see people, meet people from all over the province, maybe make a new friend.

Because the resiliency and trauma is not just the paramedic only, it’s their family as well. That’s why we’re opening it up to both.