By Chris Clarke
More paramedic positions and services should be a top priority for council to consider for the 2005 city budget, say Centretown residents.
Residents told Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes at a public budget meeting earlier this month that increasing funds for paramedics, protecting arts and heritage and helping small businesses while maintaining current levels of services were their top concerns.
“Ambulances…are needed the most,” says resident Muriel Champagne, who attended the meeting.
Holmes says she believes council will include $600,000 for seven full-time paramedic jobs in the 2005 budget. In last year’s budget council slashed 14 new full-time positions but insisted the city was simply delaying hiring the paramedics for one year.
The increase in money comes on the heels of a scathing report in August from the city coroner slamming ambulance response times.
The report capped an inquiry into the death of a 75-year-old Greely resident who died after paramedics took 18 minutes to respond.
“This is a downpayment on getting the system more efficient,” says Holmes. “City inherited a poor system from the province.”
Until 2001, paramedics were a provincial concern but have since been downloaded to municipal governments. Holmes emphasizes that this year’s cash infusion will not solve the problem.
She says the city is planning a multi-year strategy to improve the current ambulance system by implementing better service and efficiency.
“It’s going to take more than just one year. It will take several years of continuous investment.”
The public consultations are part of a new city initiative to involve the public earlier in budget discussions before decisions are made on what to include. Councillor and community-led sessions have just wrapped up and will restart in January 2005, just before the draft budget is released.
Councillors walked the public through the criteria and examination each budget must endure before approval.
“The sooner we can involve residents, the better,” Holmes said. “The more residents understand the complexity of budgets, the better.”
Some residents are not as optimistic over the effect the public consultations will actually have on the budget.
“I remain cynical until the day after the (budget) vote because there always seems to be a surprise,” says Archie Campbell, Dalhousie Community Association president.
He says the meeting repeated the same spectrum of arguments heard last year.