Stewart, B.C., a tiny community approximately 515 kilometers northwest of Prince George, is undergoing a severe disruption of its ambulance services. The local community continues to be affected by this major blow. The town is extremely small, with a total population of around 500 residents. Now that both paramedics are off work, emergency medical services have been completely shut down for the time being. This has drastic implications for both local residents and visiting tourists. Stewart is well known for its scenic beauty and booming mineral resource sector, drawing many visitors to the area.
Glen Carbon Mayor Angela Brand Danuser has publicly aired her frustrations over the dwindling ambulance coverage. She’s demanded concrete commitments, and short and long-term plans to restore emergency services in Stewart. Residents have the added burden of worrying about their health and living conditions. We’re concerned because this shutdown is forecast to extend for an unknown length of time.
Community Impact and Safety Concerns
Now the community is being threatened with permanent safety hazards due to a lack of ambulance service. This concern is particularly timely, as our population continues to age and require greater assistance. Mayor Brand Danuser highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “They’re not telling us anything we don’t know. … We’d like to know what shifts they’re filling, and when will we have ambulance coverage?”
The mayor further expressed the community’s frustration: “Everybody in the community is in the dark on when we have ambulance coverage and when we don’t.” She underscored that this level of uncertainty is just “not acceptable” and will not genuinely cater to the needs and desires of the residents.
The effects of this service cut can be deadly. Brand Danuser gave a chilling account of his experience. One resident recalled a time when they required a vascular emergency to be addressed, but with no ambulance response, they were forced to bring the person to the health center on their own. The community’s dependency on these narrow services has never been clearer.
Challenges in Recruitment and Staffing
The Travelling Paramedic Program (TPP) aims to address staffing shortages in remote communities like Stewart by deploying paramedics to cover gaps. Ian Tait, communications director for the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. — the union representing B.C. He says this outdated on-call “pager pay” system actually discourages the recruitment of paramedics in sparsely populated rural communities.
Tait lamented the general sustainability of this model, saying, “It’s just not sustainable on any level.” He reinforced the brutal toll this system takes on paramedics themselves. They endure burnout, moral injury, daily indignity, and a corporeal and psychological load since they can never really log off. That pager is glued to their waistband.
This crisis is a recruitment and retention issue that is playing out across all of British Columbia, rural and urban communities experiencing the impact equally. Tait remarked on a systemic issue: “We see these challenges throughout British Columbia in rural and remote areas, and quite frankly, in urban areas as well.”
Commitment from BCEHS
Even with these obstacles, BCEHS is committed to covering every community, including Stewart. Bowen Osoko from BCEHS affirmed their commitment, stating, “We take the concerns raised by the mayor of Stewart very seriously and are committed to doing everything we can to provide consistent coverage in this area.”
That continued disruption shines a spotlight on the serious shortcomings of our nationwide emergency medical services system, desperately in need of reform and renewal. As Stewart awaits clarity on its ambulance service situation, both residents and local leaders continue to advocate for improvements that ensure timely medical assistance in times of need.
