‘Paramedics are exhausted’: Drug crisis prompts calls for more ambulances

Mayor Scott Gillingham and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service are calling for more ambulances on the city’s streets. CTV’s Jeff Keele explains.

Winnipeg’s mayor and fire paramedic chief are calling for an urgent expansion of the city’s ambulance fleet.

“We need more ambulances and we need more paramedics,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

The province funds the city to provide ambulance services, and Gillingham is pressing for increased support as the drug crisis is pushing emergency staff to their limits.

“Until the addiction crisis and drug crisis is dealt with head on, those calls for service are going to continue,” said Gillingham. “Our paramedics are exhausted, our firefighters are exhausted.”

Deputy Chief Ryan Sneath of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says the chief has been advocating for eight additional ambulances — a request that would require hiring 88 more paramedics to staff the vehicles around the clock.

“We’ve had some responders report that they’ve responded up to six times for the same individual in one day.”

In 2025, 90 per cent of priority one ambulance calls were answered within 19 minutes. Response delays have also placed added pressure on firefighters, who are frequently required to remain with patients until an ambulance becomes available.

Sneath notes that the drug crisis is not the sole driver of rising call volumes, pointing to Winnipeg’s growing and aging population as a contributing factor.

“We’ve seen over 70,000 new people come to Winnipeg since 2021,” said Sneath.

In a statement, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara acknowledged that there is more work to be done.

“We continue to work closely with Shared Health, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and other partners to assess system needs and ensure Manitobans can access ambulance services when and where they need them,” said Asagwara.