striking nova scotia ambulance dispatchers say work stoppage exposes chronic understaffing
5 minute read
striking ambulance dispatchers picket outside their offices on brownlow avenue in dartmouth thursday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
nova scotia’s striking ambulance dispatchers say there is “chronic understaffing” at their headquarters, and the easiest way to illustrate it is to look at how their shifts are being covered during the work stoppage.
because the emergency operators are an essential service, workers aren’t allowed to abandon their jobs during a labour dispute. the nova scotia labour board still requires them to work monday to friday, even though they’ve been on strike since july 17.
but ever since that essential services agreement (esa) went into effect, the mandates imposed by the labour board revealed a reality one worker described as stark.
“because of that esa, during the week our staffing has actually been better than it ever was,” jordan macvay, one of the striking dispatchers, said during a news conference at their picket line in dartmouth on thursday.
“every day when i come in, i’m asked to make quick decisions that have life-or-death consequences, and i’ve seen over the last two weeks what a properly staffed centre is like, and it’s kind of great. the contrast is stark.
jordan macvay, a medical communicator and one of the striking ambulance dispatchers, speaks to reporters outside their offices and at the picket line on brownlow avenue in dartmouth on thursday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
“so what we’re asking is for nova scotians to call your mlas, keep steady pressure on the government to get us a fair deal. we don’t want to sign a contract that would put lives in jeopardy. we love our jobs, but we just don’t want to sign a contract that would see the staffing at our dispatch centre not up to what it should be to keep everyone safe.”
ambulance dispatchers point out wage disparity with rcmp counterparts
the nova scotia government actually contracts out the management of the ambulance dispatchers to emergency medical care inc. (emci). the workers are classified as either communication officers or transfer administrators, and the group is represented by the canadian union of postal workers (cupw).
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the union’s lead negotiator, craig power, described how entry-level emergency operators for the rcmp make roughly $72,000 per year, compared to the first tier of ambulance dispatchers earning around $52,000 for doing comparable work.
he also explained how non-union managers have had to cover weekend shifts during the strike. the union said those employees are often being paid overtime wages for those hours, and many of them need their meals and hotel expenses covered because they don’t live close to headquarters in dartmouth.
“the esa actually forces the union and the employer to have 20 bargaining unit members working weekdays, monday to friday,” said power, later characterizing the understaffing as dangerous.
“that’s 33 per cent higher than the average staffing levels in 2025 during the weekdays, and we are on strike. in 2025, the employer met the staffing number fewer than 10 times out of 261 working days. these workers provide an essential service to the citizens of nova scotia. they love what they do and they are good at it.”
craig power, regional union representative and lead negotiator for the striking ambulance dispatchers, speaks to reporters outside their offices and at the picket line on brownlow avenue in dartmouth on thursday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
emci says it’s ‘committed’ to the collective bargaining process
the last collective agreement expired on march 31, 2025, and the sides then went through numerous rounds of bargaining, as well as conciliation steps, before declaring a stalemate. power said the employer’s last offer on annual wages was still about $10,000 short of what the union is seeking.
“emergency medical care inc. (emci) recognizes and deeply values the essential role communication officers and transfer administrators have in supporting the delivery of emergency health care to nova scotians,” read a statement from the employer.
“all ehs essential service delivery and operational requirements will be maintained throughout the labour disruption. focus continues to be on delivering safe, high-quality care. if nova scotians find themselves in an emergency, we encourage them to call 911 immediately.
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“we value all employees and are committed to the collective bargaining process, so a fair and comprehensive agreement can be reached. we look forward to a positive resolution to this matter and will not be commenting further as we work towards this.”
striking ambulance dispatchers and their supporters picket outside their offices on brownlow avenue in dartmouth on thursday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
job takes an ’emotional toll’ on employees, says striking dispatcher
as much as wages are a leading point of discussion, the union said any solution has to include some kind of formal improvements to the day-to-day work conditions.
“i love my job,” macvay said.
“i love that i get to help people every day, and i love the people that i get to work with every day. and i think it’s kind of cliché when people say that the people they work with are a family, but honestly, i feel like it’s true in this case.
“everyone who works here, and that includes the supervisors who are on the other side of this strike, we’re all a family. we’re kind of a dysfunctional family at the moment, but we are a family nonetheless.”
he continued: “we all care about one another, and we look out for one another, and we have to because it’s a really hard job. we go through a lot of stress. it’s a job that takes an emotional toll. it takes a physical toll. and if you combine the stress inherent in this job with the fact that our wages have not kept up with the cost of living, then what you get is high turnover and low retention.
“so we have people who leave us all the time. you could say that we are hemorrhaging people. people leave us because they want to get a job with better pay, or sometimes they go on stress leave and they simply never come back.”
negotiations stalled
the sides haven’t had any meaningful dialogue in two weeks, but power said there’s a chance for some new talks in the next day or two when the union hopes to revisit the staffing issues now that the reality has been laid bare during the strike.
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“a big part of it is obviously going to be wages and benefits,” power said.
“we’re actually thinking about making an offer to have some sort of a safe minimum staffing level because things have changed since last year.
“right now, we have the staff information. we see how dangerous it was, so we’re actually going to come back likely with some sort of demand on minimum staffing.”
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