Why would Alberta change emergency medical services in the middle of a pandemic?
Health Minister Tyler Shandro wants to centralize and consolidate ambulance dispatch services. He seems to think it will save money, but hasn’t presented enough evidence to prove it.
Disrupting local ambulance services endangers lives.
Relocating dispatch services also takes jobs away from hardworking Calgarians.
I don’t know about you, but if I’m waiting for an ambulance, every second counts. When Calgarians are sick and hurting, I care more about life-saving than cost-saving.
Mayor Nenshi and three other mayors agree. Our city council voted to oppose moving Calgary’s EMS dispatch and ask Shandro to overturn the decision.
It’s the right move – but it wasn’t unanimous. Two voted against pushing back: Councillors Chu and Magliocca.
Calgarians deserve better.
Next year, there’s going to be a city-wide election. We need to find, support, and elect people we can trust with our lives, because Calgarians deserve local leaders who will always choose life-saving over cost-saving.
Shandro decided recently to go through with consolidation. Nenshi and the other mayors continue to fight back, but it’s unlikely they’ll get much sympathy from Shandro’s boss Jason Kenney.
We’ll keep an eye on how this plays out. For now, can you share this news on social media?
