WHEREAS Bill 160, the Strengthening Quality and Accountability for Patients Act amended the Ambulance Act to permit the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to enable two pilot projects hosted by willing municipal governments to allow fire fighters, certified as paramedics, to treat patients while on duty with a fire department; and
WHEREAS the Government of Ontario is committed to proceeding with the pilots and enabling the fire-medic model despite the absence of objective evidence to show that it would improve patient outcomes or response times; and
WHEREAS the current interest arbitration model, particularly in the fire services sector, allows arbitrators to impose awards on unwilling employers that directly impact the employer’s ability to determine how it will deploy its workforce, as evidenced by the experience of many municipalities in regards to the 24-hour shift; and
WHEREAS in the absence of legislative protection, unwilling municipalities may be forced to enter into a pilot or adopt a fire-medic model as a result of interest arbitration; and
WHEREAS the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and its municipal members have called on the Government of Ontario to introduce legislative amendments to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 and the Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act to preclude arbitrators from expanding the scope of work for fire fighters and paramedics respectively through interest arbitration awards; and
WHEREAS there is precedent for a restriction on the scope of jurisdiction of arbitrators in section 126 of the Police Services Act which precludes arbitrators from amending the core duties of police officers; and
WHEREAS the Government of Ontario has committed that no unwilling municipal government will have a fire-medic pilot or program imposed upon them.
NOW THEREFORE be it resolved that:
- The Township of North Huron calls on the Government of Ontario to act immediately so that legislative amendments, that will protect unwilling municipalities from being forced by arbitrators to have a fire medic pilot or program, are placed within the upcoming Budget Bill before the Ontario Legislature rises for the provincial election.
- A copy of this resolution be forwarded to Premier Kathleen Wynne, Office of the Premier; Hon. Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long Term Care; Hon. Marie-France Lalonde, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services; Hon. Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour, Hon. Bill Mauro, Minister of Municipal Affairs; Lisa Thompson, MPP; and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.