Calgary buckling under EMS crisis, Alberta NDP says
New data, acquired by the Alberta NDP, suggests the province's EMS crisis is getting worse under the current government, with a lack of ambulances putting Calgarians at severe risk.
The documents, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request initiated by the Opposition, detail the number of "red alerts" in Calgary.
Red alerts are when there are no ambulances available to attend a new emergency.
The NDP says in April 2019, Calgary was averaging 40 red alerts each month. By October 2022, the city was seeing more than 400 each month.
Alberta's NDP leader places the blame for the sharp increase on the UCP government.
"We need real action. There are specific steps that paramedics themselves have been calling for and the UCP have ignored for years," Rachel Notley said in a statement.
She says her party "is committed" to addressing the real issues that face EMS coverage in Alberta by attending to the needs of paramedics and their families and ensuring they are offered fair employment contracts.
She also promised the NDP would launch "the largest health-care recruitment campaign Alberta has ever seen."
"The work of a paramedic is both highly skilled and incredibly difficult. Paramedics attend traumatic events several times a day," said Notley.
"The Alberta NDP will bring real resources to the frontline and we will work respectfully with healthcare professionals."
CTV News has reached out to the Alberta government and Alberta Health Services for a response to the new information.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.