Town to cease EMS contract with WADEMSA

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Following suit to their decision in May to transition away from WADEMSA for fire dispatch services, the Town of Strathmore has now also voted not to renew their contract for emergency medical services.

The decision was finalized by council, July 28, to formally provide the organization with notice of the town’s withdrawal. 

Additionally, Strathmore will be actively engaging with the Province of Alberta in order to determine the future of local emergency medical service delivery.

“Over the past year, there have been some questions raised about the governance, operational capacity, and financial oversight of the society. The town has taken steps to seek additional information to better understand WADEMSA’s current operational and financial position,” said Coun. Melissa Langmaid. “Unfortunately, to date, the town has not received the information required to fully assess the long-term viability of the existing service delivery model.”

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is responsible for ensuring that ground ambulance services are provided to communities, whether that be through direct delivery, or via a contracted provider. 

In addition to the current concerns raised by council, WADEMSA was similarly non-cooperative with AHS in 2024 when the latter had requested information about, and the return of more than $4 million in surplus accumulated since 2013. 

Mayor Pat Fule, similarly iterated his concerns with the difficulty experienced in attempting to communicate with WADEMSA.

“We feel that (WADEMSA) does not have the level of transparency, governance, or operational information that we consider necessary to support informed decision making,” he said.  “We are basically customers of the service, and we are not getting any answers, so it became a situation where we felt that the best thing for town of Strathmore residents was to leave the association.”

The contract currently in place between the town and WADEMSA will expire at the end of the current calendar year. Prior to the contract’s conclusion, the town will seek an alternative service delivery model in order for the transition to be as seamless as possible. 

Fule emphasized Strathmore residents will be protected and able to access ambulance services without disruption.

“Council’s priority is ensuring that Strathmore residents will continue to receive reliable emergency medical care when they need it, and we have been assured that there will be no disruption to service during this process,” he said.

During the same meeting, council also voted to authorize administration to enter into a service agreement with Calgary 911, continuing the process initiated in May. This shift alone is estimated to save the town over $100,000 annually.

– With files from the Strathmore Times