Lethbridge city council is standing by its decision to reject the Alberta government’s proposed Emergency Medical Services funding arrangement, saying the financial impact would place too much pressure on local taxpayers.
Although Alberta has pushed back the city’s deadline for meeting the Emergency Health Services benchmark funding rate to April 1, 2028, Mayor Blaine Hyggen said council has no plans to change course.
He said the extension does not address the city’s main concern: the cost of the funding model itself.
“At this point, we have only been offered a delay of one year to reduce costs towards the current benchmark rate which, in our opinion, is not realistically achievable,” he said.
City projections show the proposed funding model could increase Lethbridge’s EMS costs by roughly $4.2 million in 2028 and $4.6 million the following year, with further growth expected as wages and inflation rise. Earlier projections presented in April of this year estimated the increase would begin at about $3.7 million in 2027.
Hyggen said council cannot justify passing those costs on to residents.
“The cost would be far too high,” he said. “It’s just something that we couldn’t pass on to taxpayers.”
The disagreement stems from Alberta’s plan to change how municipalities with combined fire and ambulance operations are funded. Under the proposed model, municipalities would operate under a new EMS contracting structure tied to the provincial Emergency Health Services benchmark rate.
Lethbridge is one of seven Alberta municipalities operating an integrated fire and ambulance system staffed by firefighter-paramedics. The others are Red Deer, St. Albert, Strathcona County, Leduc, Spruce Grove and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
The latest decision follows council’s May 12 vote, when councillors maintained their position against accepting additional EMS costs under the province’s proposed agreement.
Council also voted against extending the existing contract under the proposed conditions.
City officials said the vote was not a move to end talks with Alberta, but a rejection of the financial terms attached to the proposed agreement while leaving the door open for future negotiations.
At the time, city administration estimated provincial support for Lethbridge’s integrated fire and EMS model would decline under the new funding structure, creating a larger municipal funding gap.
Following the May decision, Chief Financial Officer Darrell Mathews explained the costs would create long-term budget pressures, noting the owner of a Lethbridge home assessed at $387,000 could face an additional $182 in taxes over three years to support EMS operations.
“These costs will continue to escalate and we know that is not sustainable in the future,” Mathews said.
Hyggen has repeatedly stressed that council’s position is about affordability, not abandoning the integrated service model.
“This motion was to say, no, we’re not accepting what the province is putting forward to us,” Hyggen said following the May vote. “Do we want to pay more, or do we want to not accept that and go down another path?”
In June, Alberta paused its EMS contracting process involving the seven integrated fire and ambulance municipalities while an outside review examined the provincial Emergency Health Services benchmark rate.According to Hyggen, the city recently met with Alberta Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Adriana LaGrange and was informed that Lethbridge would be invited to participate in the review, which is expected to be completed by the end of September.
“While we are hopeful the review will address some of the concerns we have already identified, it might also result in the rate staying the same or going down even further,” Hyggen said.
He added the uncertainty means council is not prepared to reverse its position.
“This does add another level of uncertainty. The review is not expected to be completed until the end of September and at this time, it would be fiscally irresponsible of council to change their direction and agree to these unknown costs.”
After council’s May decision, firefighter representatives raised concerns that changing the current system could affect ambulance coverage and response times.
Brent Nunweiler, president of Lethbridge Firefighters IAFF Local 237, said firefighters were disappointed and believed the future of the system was at risk.
“What we did hear from Council today was that they value the integrated service,” Nunweiler said. “However, today’s vote makes that process extremely difficult and puts the system in jeopardy.”
Coun. Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, who supported maintaining the integrated model, argued the service provides strong outcomes for residents and said many residents had indicated support for paying additional taxes to preserve it.
“Research shows better health and survival outcomes under this integrated service,” she said during the May debate.
She also warned that ending the model could result in the loss of specialized emergency services and about 70 staff positions.
Councillors who opposed the provincial agreement said their concerns were focused on the municipality’s ability to afford the model, rather than on the quality of the service.
Coun. Rajko Dodik said he supported integrated fire and EMS but questioned whether the municipality could continue absorbing costs for a service he described as a provincial responsibility.
“I love fire EMS integrated services,” Dodik said. “I’m just saying that we couldn’t sustain it.”
Discussions between Lethbridge and Alberta are expected to continue as the province reviews the benchmark funding formula. The future of the city’s integrated fire and ambulance service remains unresolved.
Despite the uncertainty, Hyggen said residents should not be concerned that ambulance service will disappear.
“There will be an ambulance when you call,” he said. “It just may not be Lethbridge that provides that. It might be another provider.”
If the city does not reach an agreement with the province, Alberta could seek another provider through a competitive procurement process or assume responsibility for EMS delivery directly.
Lethbridge is awaiting Alberta’s request for proposals, which would give the city an opportunity to compete for a future EMS contract. Hyggen added that council continues to support the city’s integrated fire and EMS model and hopes a long-term agreement can be reached.
