Province asked not to split Peel Paramedics in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon break-up

Local councillors are calling on Premier Doug Ford and his government to keep Peel Paramedics Services intact if it does go through with a controversial plan to break-up Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

Peel Paramedic Union OPSEU/SEFPO L277 raised the alarm this week about a potential “mass exodus” of first responders with Peel Paramedics Service due to job insecurity related to the Hazel McCallion Act which is set to dissolve the region on Jan. 1, 2025.

Dozens of paramedics brought those concerns to council which passed a motion calling on the province to leave Peel Paramedics Service as “a single entity and continue to provide paramedic services across the current Peel geography.”

The Region’s call for paramedic support from the province echoes a motion passed earlier this year asking for Peel Regional Police to remain whole in the break-up.

“We’re the forgotten about service,” President Peel Paramedic Union OPSEU/SEFPO L277 Dave Wakely told Region of Peel Council at a meeting on Thursday, saying paramedics have more issues with retention than other services like police and fire.

“Everyone I talk to is considering other employment,” Wakely said of paramedics uncertain on whether they will still have a job come 2025, adding members with decades of experience are telling new hires to “polish up their resumes.”

Wakely himself said that he is “faced with the choice of starting over” in another part of the province after 20 years in Peel.

“I’m terrified. I don’t know what to do,” he said.

The union says Peel Paramedics could only fill 68 out of 100 positions last year, even losing recruits to other employers before completing orientation with the service.

First responders are already dealing with a massive volume of 911 calls and dispatchers are struggling with what Peel Regional Police have called a “bottleneck” of emergency calls.

Councillors also heard from members of the Metamorphosis Network, a group of over 100 non-profit agencies working to ensure that the dissolution of Peel doesn’t impact public services and harm vulnerable communities.

With services already stretched thin Metamorphosis is calling on the province to put forward a plan “that meets the real needs of Peel” and step up with funding.

Reports broke on Tuesday that Ford may be set to reverse the allegedly costly split of Peel Region. Mississauga Mayor-turned Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie has been steadfast in her support of the break-up while Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Caledon Mayor Annette Groves are opposed.

Last week Brown claimed the split would lead to a one-time tax increase of 38 per cent and cost over $1 billion, while Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has said the tax hike would be 24 per cent.

Crombie has challenged Brown to back up the claims calling the numbers “unfounded” and “highly questionable.”

Thursday’s motion passed with nearly unanimous support, with Coun. John Kovac acting as a proxy for Crombie and abstained from the vote as the mayor missed part of the meeting due to an illness.