The City of Kawartha Lakes is one step closer to construction of a new $50-million paramedics headquarters in Lindsay.
On Tuesday (November 18), Kawartha Lakes mayor Doug Elmslie along with members of council and city staff, OPSEU Local 371 president Bruce Mackay representing paramedics, and representatives from project partners Salter Pilon Architecture and Ball Construction unveiled a new sign to mark the site of the new headquarters at 230 Angeline Street South.
The event was held to mark a milestone in the project, with the municipality having signed a 25-year-lease agreement with Trillium Lakelands District School Board on September 1 for the property, which is also the location of the Lindsay Adult and Alternative Education Centre operated by the school board.
With the land agreement finalized, the project can move forward with final design and site preparation. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 and the facility is anticipated to be completed by fall 2027.
“It will be the first facility designed specifically for paramedics and the unique work we do every day,” said paramedic services chief Sara Johnston. “Bringing much of our team together under one roof will help us work more efficiently and allows us to expand to meet the growing needs of the community we’re proud to serve.”
As well as bringing together paramedic services from multiple locations across Kawartha Lakes, the headquarters will also house administrative offices, training, logistics, and fleet operations.
It 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.
Last fall, Kawartha Lakes city council received an overview of the initial design plan of the project, which included a presentation by Johnston. At the time, councillors asked various questions about design elements, costs, and the availability of grants, and sought clarification around the lease agreement with Trillium Lakelands District School Board.
Councillors also discussed the impact of the new centre on the surrounding neighbourhoods, and what to expect regarding response times to calls.
Chief Johnston shared how the current paramedic facilities are outdated and insufficient to meet the needs of both staff and the growing community.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 said at the time.
“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 facility 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, Johnston said.
The new paramedics headquarters will consolidate seven of the 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.
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.
The lease cost for the new facility will be offset by the savings gained from terminating a current facility lease, the report noted.
Council had earlier approved an investment in the new paramedic headquarters and fleet centre. 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 Architecture “to create a purpose-built facility that meets the community’s growing needs.”
The estimated cost for the paramedic headquarters and fleet centre facility is $50 million.
Kawartha Lakes expects to hold a formal ground-breaking ceremony in the spring of 2026, coinciding with the beginning of construction.
