Peterborough County and CUPE Local 4911 have reached an essential ambulance services agreement (EASA), removing one of the remaining procedural barriers to a potential strike by Peterborough City-County paramedics.
According to a statement from Peterborough County, the EASA was signed Friday (November 6) and establishes how many paramedics and ambulances must continue working during a labour disruption so emergency medical care remains available.
With the EASA now in place, the earliest a strike could begin remains 6:30 a.m. this Friday (November 13).
CUPE Local 4911, which represents Peterborough City-County paramedics, is required to provide 48 hours’ notice before beginning a strike. As of the county’s announcement on Monday morning, no notice had been given.
A statement from CUPE Local 4911 responding to the agreement was not available as of publication.
The EASA does not resolve the larger contract dispute between the county and the union, which represents Peterborough City-County paramedics.
The two sides have been bargaining for a new collective agreement since the spring. Their previous three-year agreement expired December 31, 2025, although its terms remain in effect until a new agreement is reached.
In September, 185 of 187 union members — 99 per cent — voted in favour of a strike mandate.
While paramedics were initially expected to be in a legal strike position at 12:01 a.m. on October 31, that deadline was pushed back almost two weeks after the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled on October 30 that a strike could not begin before November 13 while the parties dealt with the EASA issue.
Under Ontario law, paramedics cannot legally strike without an essential ambulance services agreement establishing the level of service that must continue to protect public safety.
The county and union had disagreed over whether the EASA dating from 2017 remained valid. CUPE maintained the earlier agreement continued to be enforceable, while the county asked the Labour Board to determine its status and consider changes.
The board’s October 30 ruling gave the parties additional time to negotiate a new agreement, rather than having the board determine the required service levels. Friday’s agreement resolves that issue.
It does not mean all paramedics would stop working if a strike begins. Emergency calls would continue to be answered, with the EASA determining the minimum staffing and ambulance resources that must remain available.
Peterborough County said Monday that paramedic service continues as normal and residents should continue calling 911 for medical emergencies.
The underlying bargaining dispute has centred largely on compensation, mental health benefits, recruitment, and retention.
Following the final scheduled bargaining session on October 27, CUPE said the parties remained far apart on what it described as pay parity with other first responders and adequate mental health benefits.
The union has said paramedics face repeated exposure to traumatic situations and that improved wages and benefits are necessary to retain experienced employees and attract new recruits.
The county’s most recent offer includes wage increases totalling almost 18 per cent over three years, along with annual mental health coverage of $5,000 for full-time paramedics and their dependants and $2,000 for part-time paramedics.
The county has said its wage proposal would make Peterborough paramedics the highest paid among Eastern Ontario paramedic services that have reached settlements to date.
CUPE has disputed the county’s characterization of the broader compensation and retention situation and has maintained that its members need improvements sufficient to make paramedicine a sustainable long-term career.
In Monday’s statement, the county said that offer “remains on the table,” along with its proposal to have an independent interest arbitrator settle the remaining issues, noting that arbitration has been used to resolve most Ontario paramedic labour disputes during the past 25 years.
CUPE has previously declined the county’s arbitration proposal, saying it wants to reach an agreement through collective bargaining.
Paramedics provides emergency medical care to citizens and visitors of Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations. Operated by Peterborough County, the service is jointly funded by Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the Ontario government through the Ministry of Health.
