Critical shortage of ambulances in Ottawa Tuesday night
CTV News Ottawa has learned there was a critical shortage of ambulances available to respond to emergency calls in the city of Ottawa Tuesday night.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service was at something called "Level Zero" for an undisclosed amount of time, requiring assistance from other jurisdictions.
This came just hours after the city said contingency plans were no longer needed to maintain services following a major COVID-19 outbreak within the paramedic service.
In a statement, the city confirmed the "Level Zero" status and said offload delays in emergency rooms remains a significant challenge.
"Our service is often impacted when paramedics are held in the emergency department for an extended time. Offload delays at hospital emergency rooms remain a significant challenge. This issue continues to affect Council-approved and legislated response times, now and in the future," said Kim Ayotte, the city's manager of emergency and protective services.
Fifty-three members of the Ottawa Paramedic Service, including paramedics and support staff, have tested positive for COVID-19 following an off-duty event at a restaurant earlier this month and more than 130 close contacts were identified. Paramedic chief Pierre Poirier said in a memo Tuesday that 61 service members had cleared COVID-19 protocols and returned to work adding, "contingencies are no longer required to mitigate service delivery impacts related to this incident."
Poirier had said in previous memos and statements that there were "minimal impacts" to service delivery in the city.
Ayotte echoed Poirier's statement that contingency measures were no longer required, and explained that during "Level Zero" events, the paramedic service is assisted by other emergency responders.
"On occasions where Level Zero is reached, the Service mitigates the impact as required with the support of Ottawa Fire Services and local paramedic services," Ayotte said.
"The City of Ottawa has always strived to maintain established response times for emergencies despite an increasing demand for service. To meet the demand for service, we have been hiring more staff, improving our deployment, conducting community paramedic home visits, and diverting patients away from emergency rooms," he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.