| May 15, 2013


After being rebuffed at Frontenac County Council, the Kingston-based OPSEU local that represents the paramedics in Kingston and Frontenac County are now trying a kind of end-run. They are trying to influence Kingston politicians concerning the delivery of land ambulance service in the city.

There is something odd about this.

You would think that when land ambulance was downloaded from provincial to municipal jurisdiction a little over 10 years ago a city such as Kingston would end up with the responsibility for its own service. But that did not happen. Instead, the contract was granted to the Frontenac Management Board, then a remnant of the former Frontenac County,

The Frontenac Management Board, created at the time of municipal amalgamation in 1998, was responsible primarily for the Fairmount Home long-term care facility. It also mediated the relationship between the City of Kingston and the four Frontenac townships over the delivery of social services in the townships, which were consolidated under the Social Services department of the City of Kingston in 1998.

The Frontenac Management Board was overseen by the four mayors from the Frontenac townships, who met about 10 times a year for an hour or two to make sure everything was on the up and up. It was all very low-key.

Two things happened to change all that. The Management Board needed to upgrade Fairmount Home in the interest of the residents and in line with the changes the Province of Ontario was making to the long term care sector. And when land ambulance was being downloaded, the Frontenac Management Board won the contract to manage it for itself and the City of Kingston.

These two events, coupled with the election of Isabel Turner as Mayor of Kingston, put the Management Board in conflict with the City of Kingston for a few years.

Much of the cost of running, and renovating Fairmount Home, was paid for out of the City of Kingston budget, as was the cost of running land ambulance. But much to the consternation of Mayor Turner and some of her staff, the city did not have jurisdiction. There was a fight, and an eventual agreement, over funding the renovations to Fairmount Home. Isabel Turner did not get re-elected, and since then all relations between the city and the county have been de-politicised.

In order to run land ambulance and the upgraded Fairmount Home facility, the Frontenac Management Board took on more staff and also decided to re-invent itself as the new Frontenac County.

The City of Kingston, with very rare exceptions, had ignored the relationship for at least eight years.

This is the context in which the simmering discontent between Frontenac County and OPSEU Local 462 is falling into.

The paramedics are taking their protest to the streets of Kingston, and to Kingston City Council.

Suddenly, this odd arrangement whereby the city residents pay $6 million each year for ambulance services but have no direct representation on the body (Frontenac County) that makes all decisions about service levels in the city, will be coming to the floor of Kingston City Council.

A member of city council will be raising a question about ambulance service next week, and this will allow OPSEU Local 462 to address city council directly.

Whether city council decides now is the time to start asking questions about the way things are decided, or will decide to stay out of it as they have been doing for years, remains to be seen.

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