On Aug. 14, a collision in Lloydminster left an RCMP member and a civilian waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance. Yes, you read that right, 30 minutes! Thankfully, the injuries weren’t serious. But in a life-and-death situation, that might as well be a lifetime. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) insists it is focused on “timely response.”
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Their explanation for the wait? They did have two staffed ambulances on the Sask. side of Lloydminster. However, one was tied up on another call, and the other was on a mandatory rest period (is that really staffed then?). Prairie EMS was unable to send help, so a unit had to be called from Alberta.
Another collision, a four-vehicle pileup just last week, left victims waiting more than 20 minutes. This is not just Lloydminster’s problem, either.
In Edmonton last weekend, paramedics screenshotted their available ambulances at 9 a.m. on a Saturday: only 67 per cent staffed. None available to respond during a critical alert. It is one of many troubling examples.
That is not “timely.” That is dangerous.
Behind closed doors, SHA and WPD Lloydminster are locked in arbitration over who delivers ambulance service. The hearing wrapped on Aug. 8. Until an arbitrator rules, the contract limps along. In the meantime, Medavie and Prairie EMS are supposed to provide “support.” On paper, fine. On the ground, people wait.
Look at the numbers. Alberta’s Reporting and Learning System, where paramedics document harm caused by delays, shows reports tied to response times projected to hit their highest level since 2018. Paramedics say the system is underused because delays have become routine. That is how normalized the danger is. AHS, meanwhile, just signed a co-response deal with Lloydminster Fire Rescue. If staffing levels are strong, why lean on firefighters to plug the gap? I asked AHS for Lloydminster staffing numbers. Silence.
This week in Onion Lake, a patient who could have potentially needed STARS air ambulance ended up with an ambulance dispatched from Lloydminster. More delay. More risk.
Living on the border means we have two health systems, AHS and SHA, trying to piece together patchwork solutions. When you dial 911, you might even be bounced between two dispatch centres.
Imagine wasting minutes while dispatchers figure out which province you are standing in and which ambulance, if any, to send.
Let me be clear: I know many and respect all the front-line paramedics in this community. This is not their fault. It is above them.
SHA can issue polished statements. AHS can stonewall questions. Politicians can duck responsibility. But here is the bottom line: lives are being gambled away because two provinces cannot get their act together on emergency medical services.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. If Aug. 14 was not the wake-up call, what will be?
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