By TERRY PUGH
Delegates to the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) convention in Regina April 13 voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution urging the provincial government to “review and amend” the Saskatchewan Ambulance Act to ensure “timely and equitable access to emergency medical services across Saskatchewan.”
The resolution, submitted by the City of Warman, also called for the creation of a formal cost-sharing mechanism between the Government of Saskatchewan and municipalities to maintain and upgrade fire department infrastructure, equipment and apparatuses; and to compensate municipal fire departments for their role in responding to medical emergencies.
The resolution passed by a vote of 271 (93.8%) in favour and 18 (6.2%) opposed.
During debate on the resolution at the SUMA convention, Warman Mayor Gary Philipchuk cited a recent incident during an SJHL hockey game in which a player sustained an on-ice neck injury.
“On-ice first responders called emergency services, and were told that an ambulance could take up to four hours to arrive,” said Philipchuk. “This was just one of many real examples. Imagine if your neighbour’s house was on fire, and you were told that a fire engine could take up to four hours to arrive. That is just unacceptable.”
Philipchuk said the 40-year-old Ambulance Act needs to be reviewed.
“This isn’t about replacing EMS services,” said Philipchuk. “It’s about backing them up and improving emergency services.”
He noted that Warman Fire Rescue (WFR) first responders are providing “life-saving care” to patients, but because they cannot legally transport a patient to hospital if no ambulance is available within a reasonable time, “they have to stand by while the patient suffers.”
He added that in the first three months of 2026, WFR members responded to 91 emergency medical calls.
“In 52 of those calls, no ambulance unit was available at the time of the call,” said Philipchuk. “Clearly, the current system is not working, and families in our area are paying the price.”
The Ambulance Act governs the licensing of ambulance operators, designation of service districts and EMS providers. Because of the high volume of emergency medical calls in the City of Saskatoon, the vast majority of ambulances are busy responding to those incidents, resulting in the periodic unavailability of ambulances outside Saskatoon city limits.