Another week, another Code Black in Essex County.
CUPE Local 2974, the union representing paramedics, EMS logistics and support staff in Windsor-Essex, posted to social media on Tuesday night that they were once again dealing with a Code Black.
A Code Black is used when there are no ambulances available to respond to emergency calls because paramedics are waiting at a hospital to offload the patient.
Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky raised the issue at Queen's Park on Wednesday, pushing the provincial government to address the string of ambulance Code Blacks that have been taking place in the region.
Gretzky says one of the fastest things the province could do is repeal Bill 124, legislation that went into effect in 2019 which capped wage increases for those in public service to one per cent a year for three years.
At the time, the government said the bill was a time-limited approach to eliminating the deficit.
Gretzky says the bill is causing a strain on the healthcare system, where health care workers are leaving the system entirely.
"We're seeing that with nurses and the understaffing in hospitals," she continued. "That's also contributing to the fact that when paramedics respond to calls they're facing offload delays at hospital, because there just isn't the staff there to be able to take responsibility and care of the patients that they're waiting to offload."
Another thing Gretzky would like to see is the province honour a commitment it made back in the fall.
In October 2022, the County of Essex declared a local emergency in response to persistent ambulance offload delays.
Around the same time, NDP MPP Sandy Shaw, who represents Hamilton West - Ancaster - Dundas, passed a motion at Queen's Park to ensure the government made a commitment to end ambulance shortages.
"And the government supported that motion, but have not actually forwarded any funding or brought in the programs that are needed to address the concerns specifically that paramedics are raising now," she said.
Back in March, the Financial Accountability Office found that Ontario will be short about $21.3 billion in health spending by 2027-2028, and as a result, would be unlikely to achieve its goals of adding enough beds and hiring enough staff to keep up with demand.
Gretzky believes this issue requires immediate action after numerous discussions with those in the field and living this every day.
She says a lack of staff has a cascading impact on the overall delivery of care, which is leading to the Code Blacks.
"When you don't have the paramedics to respond there's potential for catastrophe, there's potential for people to die, we've already heard those stories. When we don't have the healthcare workers in the hospital to provide the support as far as offload, and then providing the necessary care in hospital, lives are at stake."
Earlier in May, Gretzky was joined in Windsor by provincial NDP leader Marit Stiles, Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy, and President of CUPE 2974 EMS James Jovanovic to advocate for solutions to end ambulance shortages in Windsor-Essex.
Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie said the province has heard the concerns about Code Blacks in Essex County and are working to help local healthcare facilities in May as well.