Mayor expresses interest in being on EMS advisory committee

Mayor Jeff Genung says he is interested in being one of the municipal voices on the provincial emergency medical services (EMS) advisory committee being formed to provide immediate and long-term recommendations that will inform a new provincial EMS service plan.

Earlier this afternoon, Alberta Health minister Jason Copping and chief paramedic Darren Sandbeck provided an update on what measures are currently being taken on the issue, and what will follow. 

That included creating an advisory committee that will include contracted ambulance operators, paramedics unions, and municipal and Indigenous representatives.

Genung says he will be reaching out to express interest.

"I think I can bring some insight from what I've learned in Cochrane and what it is to be a satellite community of a big centre that is continually drawing our EMS and ambulance into Calgary and leaving us sometimes without ambulance coverage."

He says Cochrane residents and town council are acutely aware of the issue. It lead to a town hall last summer and the creation of a citizens action committee.

"This is not a new problem, but I'm thankful that the province is stepping up to admit there are problems and are addressing them," says Genung.

He says it wasn't solely caused by the pandemic, saying it just magnified an existing issue.

Genung likes the leadership that will be offered on the committee by former Municipal Affairs minister Tracy Allard and Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson, who has been a vocal proponent of change.

Mayor Genung met with Health minister Copping in November to discuss the issue with the assistance of local MLA Pete Guthrie. 

Genung expressed concern over the perspective provided by AHS compared to what he'd been told in Cochrane. He told the minister the two perspectives didn't line up.

"I hear one thing on the street and I hear another thing from the government, so somebody's got to be wrong or it's somewhere in the middle, where things usually land. I'm glad they've accommodated that thinking with their committee makeup and that they will be reaching out to various stakeholders and getting their feedback and input on how to resolve some of these issues."

During today's press conference, both Copping and Sandbeck admitted communications have been lacking.

Whether it's at a provincial municipal or level, Genung believes governments need to lead with communications.

"If we leave a void, which I believe EMS and AHS have done in this instance, people will fill the void themselves, and sometimes the narrator gets changed. Maybe good work is happening in the background, but we don't have any idea what's going on, so absolutely they need to communicate with Albertans. That's one of the things that I shared with the minister during our meeting as well."