SHUNIAH — The construction of a new EMS base east of Thunder Bay is underway.
At a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Superior North EMS marked the groundbreaking for the site of its new ambulance station in Shuniah.
Shuniah Mayor Wendy Landry said the groundbreaking represented a good day for her community.
"It’s something the municipality’s investing in and I think it’s good for the municipality, as well as, the district because the ability to respond to calls on the highway from this area is a little bit better," Landry said.
The new facility, which will be located at 1801 Lakeshore Drive, was recommended in the Superior North EMS master plan. The build has a projected cost of $1.5 million.
“The living conditions for our paramedics should be of utmost important and I think this will add to their quality of life while they’re waiting for those calls to come in,” Landry said.
The new facility will allow for more space for ambulances and other vehicles to park which it aid in ensuring that paramedics can get out of bases faster.
Superior North EMS Chief Shane Muir said the current facility has an ambulance stored in a fire department bay. The new facility will improve response times, he added.
“We’ll have those paramedics housed in the same building as the ambulance. It will be quick access to the ambulance, quick-rise doors, and they’ll be out in no time. We are looking at a 90-second response time,” said Muir.
Muir said the Shuniah facility is a core base for Superior North EMS, which also provides service for the district.
“It’s sort of a backup base for the city of Thunder Bay when we are in code-black situations. There are no ambulances to respond. This is a quick asset to bring into the city. It’s also backup coverage for the Armstrong station and the whole north shore,” Muir said.
The construction of the Shuniah base is part of a revisioning for the paramedic service across the region.
As part of the master plan, several EMS bases operating in the North Shore areas will be amalgamated into one.
Superior North EMS recently held a consolation meeting with the municipalities of Schreiber and Terrace Bay in March. The Municipalities of Dorion, Red Rock, and Nipigon will have their consolation date on June 7.
When asked if there are any specific timelines for the construction of those bases, Muir said “we are going to be looking at requests for proposals for site selection and then we’ll be able to go out for tender with those bases as well. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing those start soon rather than later.”
However, before the site go out for tender, Muir said consultation with stakeholders is an important part of the process.
“These things do take time. We want to give ample time for everybody to have their input and make sure the stakeholders are able to engage us and have their concerns met,” Muir said. “It’s important to us to hear everybody’s voice and really do this right. We have to make it operationally impactful, make sure that we are having the quickest response times, and make everybody has access to the health care they need.
