Province expanding rural ambulance services with 'largest hiring push in B.C.'s history'
The British Columbia government is expanding rural ambulance services across the province in what it calls the "largest hiring push in B.C’s history" for the paramedic service.
Starting next month, two dozen rural ambulance stations will be converted from on-call stations to around-the-clock stations with eight full-time paramedics.
The stations include:
- Lake Cowichan
- Port McNeill
- Tofino
- Cumberland
- Bowser
- Pemberton
- Ashcroft
- Barriere
- Keremeos
- Lillooet
- Princeton
- Sicamous
- Clearwater
- Revelstoke
- Peachland
- Fernie
- Golden
- Kimberley
- Burns Lake
- Fort St. James
- Houston
- Vanderhoof
- Chetwynd
- Fort Nelson
In addition, 26 smaller ambulance stations will move to a “scheduled on-call” staffing model on Nov. 1 with new paramedic positions added, according to the province.
Those stations include:
- Alert Bay
- Atlin
- Bear Lake
- Blue River
- Cortes Island
- Dease Lake
- Edgewood
- Elkford
- Field
- Gold Bridge
- Granisle
- Greenwood
- Hudson's Hope
- New Denver
- Port Alice
- Port Clements
- Riondel
- Sayward
- Seton Portage
- Sointula
- Southside
- Stewart
- Tahsis
- Texada Island
- Wells
- Zeballos
The paramedic staffing increase follows a commitment the government made in July to improve and expand BC Emergency Health Services.
"When we call 911 for help, British Columbians need to feel confident that help is on the way and that it will arrive quickly," said Health Minister Dix in a statement Tuesday.
"The significant progress made by BC Emergency Health Services over the summer will ensure a more effective ambulance service for patients and families who depend on it,” Dix added. “Better support for paramedics and dispatchers will help them do the vital work we count on every day."
The health ministry announced in July it was expanding ambulance services by hiring 85 full-time paramedics in larger urban centres, including in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Kamloops and Prince George.
The province also said it was bringing on 30 new full-time ambulance dispatchers and announced the appointment of a new chief ambulance officer responsible for day-to-day ambulance management.
Hiring for all the new positions is currently underway, the province said Tuesday, with the expectation they will be filled between October and December.
"We are on track with filling new paramedic and dispatch positions and I know this is going to create more stability in our staffing and improve our emergency medical response and our community paramedic services in rural and remote B.C. in particular," said Leanne Heppell, interim chief ambulance officer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.