Temporary deal reached with B.C. paramedics to boost staffing

B.C. has reached a temporary deal with paramedics to address staffing shortages and ease wait times, especially in rural and remote communities.

B.C. has reached a temporary deal with paramedics to address staffing shortages and ease wait times, especially in rural and remote communities.

The agreement, made between BC Emergency Health Services and the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., includes doubled pay rates for overtime and recall shifts on evenings and weekends.

It also bumps "pager pay" rates paramedics receive when they're on call not responding to an emergency from $2 per hour to $12 per hour.

"The biggest thing was to make sure that we do everything we can to make sure people get an ambulance in their time of need or an emergency and that hasn't been happening," Troy Clifford, Ambulance Paramedics of BC president, told CTV News Vancouver.

"The short-term initiative that went on over the last year really haven't been significant enough to really see impacts."

The temporary agreement replaces an incentive launched in June that gave $100 per shift for local paramedics who committed to regular on-call shifts and for paramedics who took a two- to four-week placement in a remote community.

The paramedics' union believes these changes will make a difference for now, but says they're not a long-term fix. The union is looking for more competitive wages to recruit staff and fill vacancies.