B.C. health authority posts hundreds of job openings for paramedics after months of shortages
After months of frustration and inaction, hundreds of job postings for paramedics in British Columbia have now been posted and an “expedited process” is in place to fill frontline jobs that were stuck in administrative limbo.
CTV News has learned that a lack of human resources personnel at the Provincial Health Services Authority caused a log-jam that prevented hundreds of new and full-time paramedic positions from being filled amid life-threatening shortages of personnel.
“It has not met our objectives and what it’s done is delayed things like this — and that’s impacting patient care, it’s impacting paramedic wellness,” said BC Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatchers president, Troy Clifford.
“We were able to lobby with BCEHS and reach an agreement for expedited hiring of over 400 positions that are full-time positions that are vacant.”
BC Emergency Health Services has confirmed that they “have agreed to a revised short-term provincial posting process to address current paramedic vacancies across the province in a timely manner…intended to expedite and streamline the hiring process.”
Clifford says about half are full-time primary care paramedic positions, while others are irregular positions.
On Wednesday morning the website posting provincial paramedic positions had a new entry for “multiple locations,” though it was unclear how many positions are open.
SCRUTINY OF ADMINISTRATION LEVELS
The jobs were posted hours before Green Party leader, Sonia Furstenau, spoke to the Union of BC Municipalities annual convention and advocated for more robust healthcare resources.
When CTV News raised the issue of paramedic job postings being delayed, she described being inundated with complaints from health-care workers and communities having problems with health authority administration.
"We are already per capita in Canada the highest administration costs in health care," she said. "When we hear it’s producing these kinds of results, that there isn’t the capacity to do the hiring that needs to be done, this is a very concerning outcome we’re getting from the administrative side of health care.”
Furstenau is urging the province to focus on directing resources, money and effort into frontline medical personnel rather than beefing up the administration side, which she said has grown 20 per cent in the last two years.
THE MINISTER RESPONDS
The health minister was asked about this issue on Wednesday morning, when Fort St John Mayor Lori Ackerman asked him about the hiring issues.
Dix, who was available for questions by municipal officials attending the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, responded that year-over-year spending on the ambulance service is up, there are more health-care employees now than when he took the job of minister, and that there's been a spike in demand across the health-care system — including serious and critical calls for paramedics.
He did not deny there were administrative delays in hiring them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.