‘They’re burning out’ Rise in Winnipeg paramedic vacancies forces workers to do more with less, union says By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 6:27 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 27, 2026

A surge in vacant positions and overtime hours among some Winnipeg emergency medical staff has a local union raising alarm bells.

As of Jan. 1, there were 107 vacant positions among the Winnipeg paramedics and emergency communication operators represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, up from 47 on the same date in 2025. The union obtained the data through a series of freedom of information requests to the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.

“This new number is a bit shocking in my mind … We hear loud and clear from our workers that they’re forced to do more with less, they’re working tons of overtime, there’s challenges … They’re burning out,” said Kyle Ross, president of MGEU. “When you have 107 vacancies, that’s pretty insurmountable for a small workforce.”

The communications operators handle emergency calls and dispatch.

The MGEU vacancy number was 49 in 2024, 26 in 2023, 33 in 2022 and 62 in 2021, the documents show. The union represents 370 active WFPS workers in the two positions, while other unions represent additional city emergency staff that are not included in this data.

Ross said a high vacancy level is hindering service levels and hurting remaining staff.

“(The vacancies) … lead to far more injuries on the job, far more time lost due to injury because these workers don’t get the opportunity and the time to decompress after they have these very draining and emotionally challenging calls. They don’t have time to recover or deal with these emotions,” he said.

“When you look at the overtime numbers that we’ve seen and the violence they see on the job, these things compound.”

Results of the freedom of information requests also show the number of overtime hours for the same group surged in recent years, reaching 28,614 hours in 2025. That’s up from 25,182 in 2024, 16,291 in 2023, 14,895 in 2022 and 14,878 in 2021.

“Unfortunately, the workers are burning out. When you look at the overtime numbers that we’ve seen and the violence they see on the job, these things compound and, without the time to reflect and decompress and deal with those emotions, (workers) burn out,” said Ross.

The union leader said drug psychosis and physical violence are becoming more common, adding considerable stress to the job.

WFPS must fill the positions as soon as possible to reduce the wait times for ambulances and prevent vacancies from fueling the need for even more overtime hours, he said.

“When you have that many vacancies, overtime is just a part of the daily life of these workers, unfortunately,” said Ross.

Ryan Sneath, deputy chief of paramedic operations and training for WFPS, said the vacancy numbers include both permanent jobs and temporary positions.

The temporary ones aren’t counted in the city’s expected complement at budget time but are created during the year for various reasons, such as to cover special projects or reduce overtime hours, said Sneath.

While WFPS didn’t provide an exact breakdown of temporary and permanent posts within the 107 vacant positions, the deputy chief said he’d “love” to fill them all.

“We are a very, very busy emergency service. Our utilization rate is significant … So, when we’re using our resources to maximum efficiency … that does have a negative on our (staff),” said Sneath.

“Overtime is not a sustainable practice.”

He believes several factors led to a high number of vacancies, including fewer paramedic graduates in recent years and a higher number of jurisdictions competing to hire them.

Sneath said the effect of vacancies on the workforce is exacerbated by the fact dozens of additional emergency workers are off the job due to injuries and extended illnesses.

He said 54 of the city’s staff of paramedics and communications operators, not just MGEU members, were off due to Workers’ Compensation Board claims in April.

He said those absences, as well as high levels of short-time sick leave, are linked to the high demands on staff.

“Those are all typically symptoms of a very stressed environment. People are being asked to do a significant amount of work,” said Sneath.

WFPS is calling for more staff to meet Winnipeg’s growing population and demand for emergency services, he said.

“Overtime is not a sustainable practice for doing that,” said Sneath.

WFPS is now tackling high overtime use by staggering shift times to help prevent hours being added at the end of each work day, which has been effective in recent months, he said.

The service is also actively recruiting staff and “in constant communication with” Shared Health to request more resources, since that branch of the provincial government funds the city’s paramedic service, he said.

Coun. Vivian Santos, the chairwoman of council’s community services committee, said the mayor’s office asked the province late last year to fund eight additional 24-7 ambulances, four additional community paramedic SUVs and about 100 more staff.

Santos (Point Douglas) said she shares the concern about the impact of vacancies and overtime on existing staff, especially with dozens of workers on leave due to other workplace illnesses and injuries.

“We’ve heard those concerns … We’ve put money and dollars towards (a new WFPS) wellness clinic because we want to be able to assist people who are on workers’ compensation to be able to come back to come back to work,” she said.

Santos said emergency service jobs are quite stressful due to social challenges, with or without vacancies adding to the pressure.

“We are definitely dealing with a lot of social disorder and social ills, which does compound and weigh heavily on our emergency services, just across the entire city. Call volumes are up, mental health and addiction calls are up,” she said.

In an email, a Shared Health spokesperson said a decision on any request for more WFPS resources will be based on multiple factors, including call volumes. The statement did not indicate if the agency expects to fund more ambulances or staff in Winnipeg.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga