THUNDER BAY — Mediated contract negotiations involving paramedics working at 13 rural EMS stations in the District of Thunder Bay resume this week under the threat of a strike.
Members of Unifor Local 229 have given their bargaining team a strike mandate, with 97 per cent voting in favour.
The union describes it as a serious warning that Superior North EMS paramedics in the rural areas have reached a breaking point over what it calls a staffing crisis.
The previous collective agreement for about 90 paramedics working outside Thunder Bay expired in October 2024.
Mediated talks with the employer, the City of Thunder Bay, took place in April with no resolution.
Unifor said in a statement Tuesday that it proposed sending the two remaining monetary issues to arbitration, but the city rejected the offer.
"Recruitment and retention are in crisis in the Superior North EMS district," said Local 229 president Kari Jefford. "We're short over 18 part-time and three full-time paramedics, and only 19 of 86 live in the district. Members are working seven-day shifts, 24 hours on-call, sleeping in base stations or rentals."
Jefford said paramedics are burning out, and that communities are being left behind.
The union alleges the employer has continued to reject proposals that would help attract and retain paramedics, and that there is now a risk that many communities will face ambulance service gaps in the coming months.
"We're competing with the city [paramedic] bargaining unit, where you can work your 12-hour shift and be home at the end of the night, where our medics are sometimes staying four and seven nights in a base that's 400 or 500 kilometres away," Jefford said. "They're not compensated for mileage. It's part of their job to do that, but it's incredibly difficult to recruit and retain medics to work in those conditions, when they can work in other services and still have somewhat of a life at the end of the day."
She said that, as of Tuesday, there were two communities in the district without an ambulance, and three with only first responders who can provide first aid but cannot transfer a patient to hospital on their own.
"So we're in big trouble here...I'd like to just remind the townships and the municipalities that are being serviced by our partnership with the City of Thunder Bay to maybe call on Thunder Bay, the corporate piece, and get a deal here for your communities."
The latest round of mediation is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and Unifor said this is "a final effort" to reach an agreement that can be taken to the membership for ratification.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, the City of Thunder Bay acknowledged the strike vote but said a strike mandate is a routine part of the bargaining process, and does not place the union in a legal strike position.
"We have great respect for the essential work our paramedics do every day," said Acting City Manager Kerri Marshall. "We remain fully engaged in ongoing discussions with union leadership to reach a resolution."
Superior North EMS Chief Shane Muir added "Our top priority remains the health and safety of the public."
Superior North EMS paramedics working within the city are part of a separate bargaining unit, and signed a three-year collective agreement last year.
NOTE: This story was updated at 2:47 EDT on June 10 to include a statement provided by the City of Thunder Bay. A subsequent update at 4:14 pm provided additional comments from Unifor, related to working conditions.
