We continue to hear about staff shortages in a variety of sectors here in Quinte, but what is it like as a paramedic?
Last weekend, residents here in Belleville heard lots of sirens… and it seemed more than usual.
Active bargaining continues between Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services and local paramedics represented by CUPE 1842.
On Sunday, CUPE 184 issued the following statement and social media video.
CUPE 1842 Paramedics Issue Desperate Plea: “We Can’t Keep Up. And It’s Costing Us All.”
CUPE Local 1842 paramedics are calling on the community for urgent support as ambulance shortages reach a dangerous tipping point. A new video released today features local paramedic Ryen, who shares an emotional and urgent message from the front lines.
“To have zero ambulances available in this large of a county, in any capacity, it’s worrisome. But in this large of a county, it’s devastating — it’s devastating,” Ryen says.
This weekend, May 2-4, Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services operated with a combined total of six full ambulances and one half ambulance short due to staffing shortages. That’s numerous emergencies — at any given point — that may go unanswered. Saturday alone, we were down staffed 3 full ambulances.
Paramedics are facing Code Zero situations multiple times a month, where there are no ambulances available to respond to 9-1-1 calls. These dangerous gaps are happening while emergency call volumes continue to rise:
•+37% in Belleville
•+42% in Prince Edward County
Yet, despite this dramatic increase, we remain dangerously behind in staffing. Hastings-Quinte is now the second busiest paramedic service in southeastern Ontario — but we are also the second lowest paid.
There is no incentive for new paramedics to choose this region. We are not competitive with neighbouring services when it comes to wages, benefits, or mental health supports. The result? We can’t recruit. We can’t retain. And we can’t grow.
We need more ambulances on the road — but we need qualified paramedics to staff them. And right now, we don’t have enough.
And it’s not just the system that’s under strain — our people are breaking too.
The ongoing trauma, emotional fatigue, and moral distress are taking a devastating toll on paramedic mental health. But the support isn’t there. Full-time medics get just $500/year for psychological support. Part-time medics — many of whom work full-time hours — get nothing.
How are we expected to manage the weight of this job — the daily trauma, the occupational stress, the overload — with no access to real help?
It’s all connected.
The staffing crisis. The burnout. The underfunding. The mental health collapse. This system is at the edge.
CUPE 1842 is pleading for the public’s help in demanding change:
•Watch and share the video on Facebook and Instagram @CUPE1842
•Write to your MPP and Hastings County Council — demand urgent investment in staffing, fair wages, and mental health support
•Speak up — because the longer we’re silent, the worse it gets
We show up for this community every day — through exhaustion, heartbreak, and sheer will. Now we’re asking you to show up for us.
Because when we can’t respond, it’s not just our burden.
It becomes yours.
Following that statement, Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services led by Chief Carl Bowker, responded with a press release on Wednesday.
“We continue to value the hard work and dedication that our Paramedics provide to our communities on a daily basis and look forward to resolving these outstanding issues when we meet again on May 26, 2025.
Increases in call volumes have been met with staffing enhancements in 5 of the last 6 years resulting in the equivalent of 4 new ambulances operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across Hastings-Prince Edward. Last year call volume increased by 2% and in 2023 it was 3%, well below anticipated increases.
Prior to the pandemic, Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services had 84 full-time positions which has grown to 120 full-time positions this year to meet our frontline and staffing needs. In addition, Hastings County Council approved the creation of 28 full-time float position, above our baseline staffing levels, in an effort to address scheduling challenges. Double digit call volume increases over the pandemic and the growth of community paramedic programs resulted in a province wide shortage of paramedics and we are only just starting to recover. Despite these challenges, HQPS recruited over 40 paramedics last year and we are in the process of onboarding another 20 medics this year.
Over the past weekend, multiple trucks were downstaffed, which is never ideal but at no time was public safety in jeopardy. Call volumes were managed effectively using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS). Concerns have been raised about “level-zero” where no ambulances were able to respond but this did not occur over the past weekend.
Provincial standards for ambulance offload times are 30 minutes. Last year, Belleville General Hospital decreased offload times by over 500 hours with the average arrival to departure of an ambulance taking 35 minutes. In Quinte West, offload times are less than 30 minutes and less than 20 minutes in Bancroft and Picton. While there are days that multiple ambulances arrive at the hospital simultaneously creating longer delays, we continue to work with Quinte Health to minimize the impact.
I certainly appreciate that staffing levels are not yet where we would like them to be but we continue to operate as efficiently as possible as the human health resource market stabilizes.”
91X reached out to the office of Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp. His team declined to comment on the statement by CUPE 1842, noting that there is active collective bargaining.
We also reached out to Bob Mullin, the Warden of Hastings County, who said that they will also not be commenting on terms and conditions of employment. Mullin concluded that Hastings County values the work of paramedics and appreciate everything they do for the community.
This week on “In Touch With Quinte,” Ryen, the local paramedic who was featured in CUPE 1842’s online video, joined us to talk about the issue that has caught many people off guard in the community.
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