'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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.