WHEREAS the City of Thunder Bay has been presented with a proposed 2021-2030 Paramedic Services Master Plan;

WHEREAS Paramedic Services are a critical service to area residents throughout the District of Thunder Bay;

WHEREAS there has been little to no consultation or dialogue with the Municipality, community, or area First Nations on the proposal, its impact or to find potential mutually satisfactory solutions;

WHEREAS the Plan calls for the consolidation of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Bases in the communities of Terrace Bay and Schreiber, and in the communities of Nipigon and Redrock;

WHEREAS the Terrace Bay and Schreiber EMS Bases cover a large catchment area with treacherous road conditions that pose a high risk for wildlife collisions and accidents due to hazardous winter driving conditions;

WHEREAS the closure of the Terrace Bay EMS Base would result in an increase in response times for emergency medical calls for 1,611 residents;

WHEREAS the closure of the Schreiber EMS Base would result in an increase in response times for emergency medical calls for 1,213 residents in Schreiber, Rossport and Pays Plat First Nation;

WHEREAS the Plan calls for the closure of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Base in the community of Beardmore;

WHEREAS the proposed changes will also impact the ability to service other communities as units would now be tied up for an additional 2 hours per call to Beardmore;

WHEREAS the proposal to leave an EMS for when the clinic is closed does not take into account important factors such as calls would still require a dispatch of a unit from Nipigon or Geraldton, the future growth of population in the First Nations communities, or that the Clinic is not open 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year;

WHEREAS if carried out, the proposal to consolidate the Bases in Terrace Bay and Schreiber, and to close the Base in Beardmore will have severe life-threatening impacts going forward;

BE IT RESOLVED that the residents of the Township of Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Rossport and Pays Plat First Nation are opposed to the 2021-2030 Paramedic Master Plan in its current form; and

THAT the residents of Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Rossport and Pays Plat First Nation call upon the Council of the City of Thunder Bay to not approve the Plan as presented and ensure that proper dialogue regarding these types of decisions occurs going forward;

AND THAT this petition be sent to the Council of the City of Thunder Bay, the Minister of Health, as well as Municipalities and First Nations in the District of Thunder Bay.