Peel paramedics demand fair pay and mental health support amid growing compensation gap

Peel Region is grappling with a critical shortage of paramedics which is keeping desperately needed ambulances—up to 17 on a daily basis—out of service. This critical public safety issue is being exacerbated by inequity in pay and benefits, union officials say. 

Data show that paramedics in Peel earn up to $30,000 less than other first responders like police officers and firefighters. This gap in compensation extends beyond wages and includes insufficient benefits for things like mental health support—something vital for workers who face unthinkable stress and abuse on the job. 

“No matter how bad or how traumatic, people’s worst day is our workday,” Dave Wakely, president of Peel Paramedic Union OPSEU/SEFPO Local 277 told Region of Peel councillors earlier this month. The union represents approximately 900 paramedics in Peel. 

Wakely advocated for the need to close this gap by addressing key demands, including better benefits for full-time, part-time, and retired paramedics, universal mental health coverage, and the introduction of retention pay to recognize and retain experienced paramedics.

"Your paramedics do challenging and dangerous work, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When someone calls 911, we respond," he said. "There's a lack of fairness in the way that paramedics are treated compared to others doing work of similar value in similar environments."

Wakely, speaking at the January 9th regional council meeting, did not receive any questions or engagement from local councillors. Regional Chair Nando Iannicca said due to the ongoing negotiations between the upper-tier municipality and the union, it would be inappropriate for any elected officials to comment further.  

In an interview with The Pointer, Wakely said the collective bargaining process with the Region is ongoing. The union has been in ongoing negotiations with Peel since their contract expired at the end of March last year. While a definitive timeline for reaching an agreement remains uncertain, he said both parties are actively working toward a resolution. He said the next round of negotiations with Peel is scheduled for January 31.

The union has made clear and consistent proposals during the bargaining process, Wakely says, focusing on achieving fair treatment for paramedics. The union is not seeking to surpass the compensation and benefits offered to police and firefighters, but is advocating for a significant reduction in the current disparity. 

"We accept that there might be a little bit of a lag behind some of our 911 partners, but we need to get closer. We can't be in a world where you have three 911 services showing up, and two of them make almost the same amount, and the third gets compensated $20,000 or $30,000 less.”

The Region has not made any substantial commitment to close the pay gap between paramedics and other emergency services, Wakely revealed. 

"They haven't made any offers that would see us close that gap in any meaningful way," he told The Pointer.

Despite dealing with similar stresses and violence to other first responders, paramedics are compensated far less.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer files)

Since the previous contract expired last year, the union employees have been working without one, but the Canadian Labour Code permits employees to work if negotiations are ongoing.

Wakely told The Pointer that negotiations began on June 10, 2024, with 12 full days of discussion so far, and emphasized the union’s commitment to securing a fair deal for its 900 members.

Dave Wakely, President of Peel Paramedic Union OPSEU/SEFPO Local 277, addresses council on the urgent need for fair pay, improved benefits, and mental health support for paramedics.

(Region of Peel)

"We're committed to continuing to work towards a deal. My members have sent a clear message to me and to the council that getting a fair deal is of the utmost importance, and we look forward to continuing to work towards that."

The strained paramedic workforce is only the latest sign of chronic underfunding by the Province that extends across Peel’s social services, paramedic services, and public health. A report from the Metamorphosis Network published last year shows Peel is underfunded approximately $868,000 annually for schools, public health (including paramedics) and other core services mandated by the Government of Ontario. While $850,000 has been allocated by the Region over the next two years to the Metamorphosis Network to advocate for fair-share funding from Queen’s Park, this effort will not resolve the immediate gaps in essential services. 

Peel paramedics face severe staff shortages, with unfilled shifts rising to 15 percent in 2023—the equivalent of 17 ambulances being off the road daily. Despite a proposed $17.3 million for ambulances and fleet in the 2025 budget, along with 22 additional fulltime employees, it remains unclear whether it will be enough to alleviate the strain on the system, leaving residents vulnerable.

The request for fair pay, and the apparent hesitance from the Region of Peel to provide it, comes as the Peel Regional Police have requested a staggering 23.3 percent budget increase—$144 million dollars more than last year— to support the hiring of 300 new officers.

While paramedics respond to many of the same calls, and are exposed to many of the same risks as other first responders—a recent study found paramedics face similar occupational cancer risks as firefighters—they receive far less compensation. 

A Primary Care Paramedic in Peel, on average, earns approximately $95,000. This is nearly $19,000 less than a 1st Class Constable, and below the earnings of a 1st Class Firefighter in both Brampton and Mississauga. The gap grows when you consider the available benefits. Unlike other first responders, paramedics receive no retention or seniority pay, and their health, long-term disability and retirement benefits are a fraction of what police and fire receive. 

 Wages and benefits for Primary Care Paramedics falls well short of what is given to other first responders.

(Peel Paramedics)

"Paramedics face the same dangers as every other emergency responder, but we often lack the protections found for other 911 services," Wakely told councillors. 

"In his current work, Dr. Justin Mausz (a researcher and paramedic) has seen half of Peel paramedics screen positive for anxiety, sleep disorder, depression, suicidality, or PTSD, yet we are the only service that lacks universal mental health coverage as we exclude our part-time members.”

It’s well documented that paramedics face significant abuse. In the first half of 2022, Peel Paramedics reported 249 incidents of violence, more than one every day. It’s estimated that many more go unreported as it’s often daunting for paramedics to speak up when they’ve experienced these situations.

A 2019 study found 80 percent of Peel paramedics experienced physical violence at work. The research, which polled 196 paramedics (half of which had over 11 years on the job), found 97.9 percent of paramedics were exposed to verbal abuse, 86.1 percent spoke of intimidation and 80 percent had experienced physical assault. According to that research, 61.5 percent had experienced sexual harassment and 13.8 percent had been sexually assaulted, which contributed “to a psychologically harmful culture resulting in a normalization of paramedic exposure to violence.”

Surveys conducted in 2020 and 2024 by the Peel Paramedics Department involving 755 residents indicated the majority supported the demand for fair compensation for paramedics. Nine out of ten residents backed the idea of providing paramedics with similar benefits as their other 911 counterparts. Wakely also highlighted the systemic inequity where a paramedic with just two years of experience earns the same as one with 20 years on the job. He mentioned that 89 percent of survey respondents agreed that experienced paramedics should receive higher pay and benefits. 

With rapid urban growth in recent years, the workload of these first responders has increased significantly, and the emergency call volume is only expected to increase in the coming years. 

"We're in a health human resource crisis. Ontario is short a thousand paramedics," Wakely stated. "In order to ensure community safety, we need to ensure fair compensation in Peel to be able to recruit and retain the paramedics that respond to people's emergencies every day.

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