Union pushes back on latest call for Ontario paramedics college

The union representing thousands of Ontario paramedics is pushing back against the latest call for a college to regulate the profession, saying such a move would place unfair financial burdens on workers already facing inadequate compensation on top of escalating workloads and burnout.

“Paramedics already operate with extensive oversight that prioritizes patient safety. What we don’t have is sustainable staffing, competitive compensation, and robust mental health supports that allow us to do these demanding jobs," the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said in a Thursday news release.

CUPE issued the statement after the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC), which represents 103 municipalities, made the call for a paramedic regulatory college earlier this week at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in Toronto.

Paramedics are not among the 27 health professions in Ontario that are regulated by their own self-governing bodies, which set standards, oversee licensing and investigate complaints.

Paramedics in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and on Prince Edward Island are self-regulated, while their cohorts in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador are government regulated, according to the Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators.

The EOWC says moving fragmented oversight of Ontario's paramedics to a regulatory college could broaden the scope of what paramedics are allowed to do so they can provide more care in smaller and remote communities. In recent years, paramedics' roles have been evolving to now include home visits to patients and prevent trips to the emergency department.

A college would also make sure regulation captures everything paramedics are now called upon to do, the EOWC wrote ahead of the conference:

"As paramedics increasingly deliver care in community, primary care, long-term care, public health, and non-911 settings, the absence of a unified, self-regulatory framework has resulted in inconsistent standards, duplicative oversight, and limited transparency for patients and the public."

• Ontario paramedics don't need a regulatory college, CUPE says

• Eastern Ontario wardens want regulatory college for paramedics

Municipalities that employ paramedics are also responsible for liability insurance and continuing education but the wardens' caucus says that professional responsibility should shift to individual paramedics, as in other health professions.

But CUPE says a college would bring unwanted additional red tape and financial costs to an exhausted workforce that is already dealing with front-line mental health pressures and struggling to retain and recruit new workers.

“Ontario’s paramedic workforce is in the midst of a crisis driven by chronic understaffing, burnout, and a growing volume of calls for emergency medical care,” Niko Georgiadis, the chair of CUPE's Ambulance Committee of Ontario, said in the union's release.

“We need real, practical policy solutions to address these foundational problems."

Paramedics already operate with "extensive oversight that prioritizes patient safety," Georgiadis added.

'Additional financial barriers' a worry

According to CUPE, a college would force paramedics to pay annual fees and cover costs for mandatory training and examinations, placing "additional financial barriers" on workers entering the profession. 

“[A college] is not a new idea, and it’s not a good one. We went down this road in 2016 with broad, thoughtful consultations with paramedics and employers. The province didn’t move forward because it was clear that a college would not solve any real problems facing paramedic services,” Fred Hahn, the president of CUPE Ontario, said in the release.

CUPE is instead calling for better pay, a province-wide staffing strategy, and expanded mental health supports "tailored to the stress and trauma of paramedics."

The union also wants front-line workers to be consulted on changes in the sector.

On Thursday night the EOWC declined to comment on CUPE's position.

The Ontario Paramedic Association has also voiced support for a regulatory college.