(AGENPARL) – Tue 10 June 2025 City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release
June 10, 2025
City of Toronto announces multi-year staffing plan for Toronto Paramedic Services
This morning, Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto Paramedic Services (TPS) Deputy Chief of Operations Melanie Jordison announced the release of a Multi-Year Staffing Plan. This plan bolsters the City’s commitment to public safety and is designed to respond to rising emergency call demand, increasing response times to critical patients and ongoing healthcare system pressures. This Multi-Year Staffing Plan seeks to hire 362 frontline and support staff from 2025 to 2028 through an investment of $52 million cost-shared with the Province of Ontario. This includes the addition of 331 paramedic positions.
In 2024, Toronto’s paramedics responded to more than 350,000 calls for emergency medical service, a number which is forecast to increase by an average of three per cent annually. The proposed staffing levels will support improved ambulance availability in the community by up to 20 per cent by 2028, helping reduce response times to medical 9-1-1 calls.
The report responds to Toronto City Council’s direction for the Chief, Toronto Paramedic Services to develop a Multi-Year Staffing Plan by June 2025 following the completion of a detailed staffing analysis for consideration through the annual budget processes to add staff resources. In addition to operational improvements, this plan is designed to support the long-term resilience of Toronto’s paramedic workforce.
The report will be considered by the City’s Executive Committee on Tuesday, June 17, and is subject to Toronto City Council approval.
Quotes:
“Investing in the City of Toronto’s Paramedic Services means investing in people’s health, well-being and safety and ensuring people get the emergency help they need, when they need it.”
– Mayor Olivia Chow
“The proposed staffing increase will enhance the availability of ambulances in the community to respond to 9-1-1 calls while supporting the resilience and well-being of our dedicated workforce.”
– Chief Bikram Chawla, Toronto Paramedic Services