A lockout by the City of Toronto will result in paramedics being locked out of their jobs unable to respond to the thousands of medical emergencies occurring in Toronto every day. The parties involved in negotiations have both stated they want paramedics to be 100% essential yet provincial legislation does not mandate paramedics as an essential service.
We want the City of Toronto to pass a motion to request the province make Toronto EMS an Essential Service with binding interest arbitration.
Why Essential Service?
Check out the Government of Canada’s definition of an essential service. A lack of paramedics service will, most certainly, result in a risk to human life or public safety.
Why binding interest arbitration?
In a word, fairness. Binding interest arbitration balances the loss of the ability to withhold services (lockout or strike) with fair compensation.
What’s the cost to the taxpayer?
In dollars or lives? Binding interest arbitration is the same method used to provide fair compensation for police officers and firefighters. Paramedics are public safety officers and health care providers; without their services lives and safety will be in danger.
What can I do right now?
If you live in Toronto contact your councillor and the members of the Executive Committee.
If you live, work, visit, play or care about anyone in Toronto call Mayor Rob Ford at 416 397 FORD.
Then call your member of provincial parliament and tell them that you want paramedics declared essential with binding interest arbitration immediately. Legislation passed in 2001 has allowed paramedics to be locked out and this must change.
