Paramedics need a real solution to growing workforce crisis, not additional red tape through a college: CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ontario’s paramedic system is under severe strain as services struggle to recruit and retain workers while frontline paramedics face mounting mental health pressures. Yet some influential voices are once again promoting the creation of a College of Paramedics, an expensive and unnecessary layer of regulation that would do nothing to improve patient care.

“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,” said Niko Georgiadis, Chair of the CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario which represents roughly 8,000 paramedics and communications officers across 24 services. “We need real, practical policy solutions to address these foundational problems. A regulatory college is a costly bureaucracy and a tax on paramedics, not a solution.”

Paramedics across the province are reporting escalating workloads and deepening mental health impacts. Workers stretched thin by mounting call volumes and short staffing are facing burnout, post-traumatic stress, and moral injury.

The result is a dire recruitment and retention challenge. According to the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs, in 2023 the province needed 1,388 paramedics but only hired 997. The number of paramedics needed has continued to grow as multiple paramedic services have reported record call volumes. At the local level, regional data and union reports show chronic understaffing has left some ambulance services unable to consistently meet service demands, with unfilled shifts and off-road units reducing availability for emergency responses.

Paramedics also face high rates of exhaustion and attrition. A report from the Toronto Auditor General cited substantial increases in overtime and turnover, with paramedics working far beyond scheduled shifts to fill gaps in coverage.

“None of these challenges will be addressed by a college,” said Georgiadis. “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. Those are the reforms that would meaningfully help patients and workers.”

A College of Paramedics would force paramedics to pay annual fees and cover costs for mandatory training and examinations, placing additional financial barriers on workers entering the profession.

“This 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,” said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario.

CUPE is calling on provincial leaders to prioritize evidence-based solutions that address the challenges in paramedic services:

• A province-wide staffing strategy
• Expanded mental health supports tailored to the stress and trauma of paramedics
• Competitive compensation
• A commitment to consultation with frontline workers on changes in the sector

“This government says they like to cut red tape while standing up for workers,” said Hahn. “If they really want to strengthen Ontario’s emergency medical system, they’ll listen to workers when they say a college is an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy and a distraction from the real work that needs to be done.”

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