City, province near ambulance funding agreement

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This article was published 04/03/2022 (1367 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A years-long dispute over Winnipeg ambulance funding appears close to a resolution.

The city has at times accused the province of delaying ambulance funding payments while the two sides couldn’t agree to a new contract.

But a completed deal is expected soon, according to a new city finance report.

“A contract is currently moving through review processes within both the City of Winnipeg and Shared Health, with an expectation that an agreement will be available for signing by the end of the first quarter of 2022,” the report states.

An agreement for how the city provides the emergency health service on the province’s behalf has been sought to settle an extended funding dispute between the two levels of government.

The City of Winnipeg threatened to get out of ambulance services after learning in November 2017 the province would freeze its share of funding. The arrangement at that point had patients pay 50 per cent of the cost, Manitoba cover 25 per cent, and the city pay the final 25 per cent.

City council later approved a call to ensure the city only provides the service for the province “on a full cost-recovery basis.”

The latest contract expired in 2016, before being briefly extended into 2017.

The finance report notes the city was negotiating for a deal to guarantee it provides ambulance service at no municipal cost. Other details of the potential contract are not revealed.

Coun. Scott Gillingham welcomed the progress.

“I welcome the news that the city and province are close to reaching a new agreement. I’ve been calling for a new ambulance contract that reflects full cost recovery since the previous agreement expired over five years ago,” said the chairman of council’s finance committee.

Gillingham said this deal is critical to ensuring Winnipeg taxpayers are no longer at risk of having to cover any shortfalls in provincial funding for ambulance services.

“We’ve moved to a cost-recovery model, so that property taxpayers will no longer be subsidizing health care,” he said.

In an email, a Shared Health spokesperson confirmed the provincial agency is working to “finalize” a new ambulance funding agreement but declined further comment.

“While we are optimistic a long-term agreement is within reach that will be beneficial to both sides, we will defer comment until it is complete and signed,” the spokesperson said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga