An ongoing battle between Alberta paramedics and the regulatory body, the Alberta College of Paramedics (ACP), has resulted in the delivery of a petition of nearly 1,100 signatures from paramedics requesting a special meeting with the ACP.
The opposition is in response to roughly a 20 per cent fee increase for exams and fees announced by the ACP this past spring; the outcry is motivated by a desire for increased transparency from the regulatory body.
The Eagle was only able to connect with one Cochranite who is an employee of Alberta Health Services (AHS), who was willing to speak with media following a guarantee of anonymity.
“This was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said the individual, who said that paramedics (with the absence of a provincial association) feel there aren’t enough supports in place for paramedics and that the ACP is perceived as “unsupportive” of paramedics.
There are nearly 10,000 paramedics in Alberta; around 1,000 operate in metro and rural Calgary areas.
Cameron Heenan, an Edmonton-based EMT, is the voice for the informal group Paramedics Calling for Transparency.
Heenan said following the ACP’s AGM in the fall of 2015, there was no indication that a fee increase was on the radar and that the college reported to be in a good financial position at that time.
“We strongly feel that the ACP is clearly in contravention of their bylaws,” said Heenan, with respect to the college’s initial rejection of the group’s electronic petition (a formal petition has since been conducted, delivered and is under ACP review).
“Presently, the ACP is governed under the Health Disciplines Act. The province has indicated that the college will be transitioned into the Health Professions Act in the very near future. This action will necessitate a review of the college’s bylaws and changes could be made without the knowledge or approval of practitioners. It is our concern that council will use this bylaw review as a way to side-step their responsibility and obligation to provide transparency and accountability to the practitioners.”
Heenan said their group is concerned that the fee increases have come at the wrong time, as many paramedics working in the industrial sector are without work; he said they are also unsatisfied with the college’s need to collect what he estimates to be over an additional $1 million in annual revenues.
Becky Donelon, ACP spokesperson, acknowledged that the college is working to improve the relationship with paramedics but emphasized that the college’s mandate is “to protect the public” and that “it’s frustrating for practitioners in this province, because there isn’t a provincial association for them.”
Donelon also asserted that the college has not had a fee increase in five years – whereas other regulators often have automatic annual increases and that the cost of doing business continues to rise.
Chris McIntosh, senior adviser to the chief paramedic, said there are a number of initiatives coming out of the work being done by the province’s psychological health and safety committee.
“We truly have an emerging culture of wellness … these initiatives are excellent additions to the wellness landscape for paramedics,” he said, highlighting two of the initiatives: Reintegration and Road to Mental Readiness.
McIntosh said the goal is to remove the stigma on mental health and to evolve to where EMS personnel would feel just as supported reporting mental health trauma as they would a broken leg.
