'Very scary situation': Fewer ambulances in Montreal this weekend due to staff shortage
Paramedics in Greater Montreal are stretched particularly thin this weekend, with nearly half the territory's ambulances parked due to a staffing shortage.
With 26 ambulances in Montreal and Laval not in use, Urgences Sante said calls are being prioritized according to their urgency.
"Calls where it's deemed that the person's life is not in immediate danger or there's no immediate risk that the person's health is going to deteriorate -- for those types of calls, there can be a delay," said supervisor Vanessa Grillo.
Managers are filling in, and paramedics from other regions are also helping out -- but that's only a temporary fix.
The bigger issue is finding and training more people to do the job.
"Paramedics for the last year were on strike," Grillo explained, which caused internships to be paused.
"It all weighs pretty heavily on paramedics," she said.
Retired paramedic Hal Newman runs the page The Last Ambulance, a journalism project from The Rover.
He said working when there's not enough staff is exhausting.
"My night would look like a living hell in terms of nonstop response, call after call after call, extended response times," he said.
Newman worries someone will fall through the cracks.
"We've all been raised with the idea that when we call 911, help is coming -- and now that's in question and that's a very scary situation."
Urgences Sante says it's doing what it can to recruit staff.
In the meantime, on this hot summer weekend, it's warning people to stay hydrated and drink responsibly.
Anyone in need of non-urgent medical care is asked to call 811 or go to the emergency room.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.