From accessible washrooms where paramedics can decontaminate after a call to the number of ambulance bays, City of Kawartha Lakes council learned more about the new paramedic services base slated for Lindsay.
During its committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday (October 8), the mayor and councillors received an overview of design plans for the Angeline Street South base, which will also provide a back-up location for the city’s critical IT infrastructure and serve as a back-up for 911, as it includes Kawartha Lakes Police Service’s Backup Communication Centre.
The committee, which met in council chambers on Francis Street, heard multiple presentations on the subject, including an overview provided by Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Service chief Sara Johnston.
Councillors asked various questions about design elements, costs, and the availability of grants, and sought clarification around the proposed 25-year-lease agreement with Trillium Lakelands District School Board for the property at 230 Angeline Street South, which is also the location of the Lindsay Adult and Alternative Education Centre operated by the school board.
Councillors also discussed the impact of the new centre on the surrounding neighbourhoods, and what to expect regarding response times to calls.
“Thank you all for coming today and thank you for putting up with our interrogations,” Mayor Doug Elmslie said. “Let’s go forward and build a really great building.”
Chief Johnston shared how the current paramedic facilities are outdated and insufficient to meet the needs of both staff and the growing community.
“I don’t think it comes as any surprise that the need for a paramedic facility is a very long-standing issue,” Johnston began.
“Many of the paramedics, myself included, have been here since the service was downloaded to the municipality in 2002. When that download happened, paramedics were being moved into buildings that were being used for other municipal use. So, in Lindsay, for example, the paramedics were moved into 89 Saint David Street, which is a public works facility.”
“What was intended to be a temporary solution until a facility was able to be built, or the paramedics were moved into a different location, has extended now beyond 20 years,” the chief noted.
The new building will feature more indoor parking, which is key because a temperature-controlled environment is necessary for both the ambulances and medical supplies, such as IV fluids, council heard. Inside the current facility, there isn’t room for staff to decontaminate after calls or even just keep a safe distance from each other for infection prevention and control reasons, she said.
The new facility will consolidate seven of 11 existing paramedic facilities into a central location, improving operations and efficiency, the staff report noted. Many of the existing facilities may be repurposed, particularly those identified for expansion as shared municipal spaces.
The lease cost for the new facility is offset by the savings gained from terminating a current facility lease, the report noted.
Another anticipated benefit is improved reaction times. The Paramedic Service Master Plan and Refresh evaluated facility location options by analyzing travel time performance alongside call distributions and future development trends.
“This assessment identified the proposed location as a strategic and superior alternative to the current site,” according to the report.
The original agenda noted the committee of the whole would be asked to approve a 25-year-lease agreement with Trillium Lakelands District School Board for the property and bring it forward to the next regular council meeting on October 22 for approval.
The amended agenda asked that the information regarding the paramedic headquarters and fleet centre update be received and that this recommendation be brought forward to council for consideration at the next regular council meeting.
Council earlier approved an investment in a new paramedic headquarters and fleet centre in Lindsay. In May 2023, Salter Pilon Architecture was awarded the design and contract administration for this project. Since then, staff have been working closely with Salter Pilon “to create a purpose-built facility that meets the community’s growing needs.”
Staff expect the design of the new paramedic headquarters and fleet centre will be substantially complete by the end of 2024. This facility will improve service delivery, accommodate future staffing needs, and ensure residents receive timely access to emergency medical care.”
Councillor Emmett Yeo asked if there were any purely aesthetic, and ultimately costly, design elements planned.
“Everything is purpose-built,” said Ryan Stitt of Salter Pilon Architecture.
“Speaking with chief Johnston, the goal of this was to build a functional, purpose-built facility that was meant for enhancing the paramedic services administratively and their function throughout the city. We really aren’t here to have a showcase for the city.”
The estimated cost for the paramedic headquarters and fleet centre facility is $50 million.
