Wellington County councillors want more detailed information on ambulance calls to locations within the county.
The issue was raised in a notice of motion put forward by councillor Lou Maieron on Jan. 30 and discussed by council at its meeting on Feb. 27.
Maieron said he raised the issue because reports provided by Guelph Wellington Emergency Medical Service (EMS) do not provide information on local response times, the number and type of local calls, and how long ambulances are stationed within any of the seven lower tier municipalities.
Maieron’s motion was seconded for discussion by councillor Ken Chapman, who said he was frustrated by the lack of information provided by EMS.
“Last year I asked for information from the City of Guelph and I heard nothing,” Chapman said. “I think we are being ignored and we get poor service.”
Chapman noted that, as a county councillor, without the information he is unable to answer questions about ambulance service posed by his constituents.
It’s a sentiment shared by Maieron, who said he was unable to answer a question from someone who complained about a perceived lack of service.
“Without this (ambulance) data we have no way of knowing,” Maieron said.
“It (EMS reports) doesn’t reflect how they provide service that our taxpayers pay for. Without this information we’re sort of lost. I’m not asking for something we shouldn’t have.”
The county has budgeted just under $3.2 million for its share of the land ambulance budget administered by Guelph. The cost split is based on the location of the calls for service. The county represents about 40 per cent of the calls in the Guelph-Wellington area, county treasurer Ken DeHart said.
EMS general manager Shawn Armstrong said he is looking for additional information before responding to the county resolution.
“At this point I am consulting with EMS management staff to clarify and respond to the resolution,” he said in an email.
Councillor Ray Tout complained about a lack of information about when services are available in Wellington North, where he is mayor.
“When something major happens they (ambulances) are moved from the north to the south,” Tout said. “There’s no communication except at the end of the year when they say ‘let’s have your cheque’.”
Maieron contends the county received more information before it entered into an agreement with the Guelph-run service in 2009.
Councillor Gord Tosh said the county should, “ask the City of Guelph for some information.”
Councillor Lynda White suggested the motion be deferred to the county social services committee, which deals with reports from EMS.
Council decided to defer the issue to the committee for further discussion.
