Haliburton County will receive nearly $3 million in provincial funding to improve paramedic and ambulance services, the area’s MPP announced Wednesday.
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott says $2,910,510 will support the hiring of additional paramedics, provide wage and cost-of-living adjustments and improve general ambulance services throughout the county.
The funding — via the annual Land Ambulance Service Grant (LASG) — is part of $764 million announced in 2022 for municipalities across the province. The province says it’s a five per cent increase compared with 2021 funding.
Haliburton County Paramedic Services currently operates seven front-line ambulances and employs about 50 primary care paramedics working at bases in Haliburton, Minden and Tory Hill.
“This funding is great news for Haliburton County and will help support residents while improving ambulance availability across the county,” said Scott. “The nearly $3 million will be used to support the hiring of new paramedics, and various ambulance related operational costs.”
Through the LASG, municipalities receive funding for 50 per cent of the costs for their land ambulance operations. Municipalities and DDAs are responsible for determining the provision and costs of land ambulance services that meet the needs of their community, including appropriate staffing levels.
Scott noted the province is also continuing to fund 100 per cent of costs for central ambulance communications centres to dispatch ambulances.
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