In a strong show of unity, members of CUPE 2974 voted 100% in favour of strike action, delivering an overwhelming mandate in response to chronic short-staffing and unsafe working conditions at Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services.

The service is short roughly 50 paramedics to meet the needs of residents, a shortage that is already impacting service levels. Adequate coverage for Essex County’s roughly 400,000 residents requires 28 ambulances during the day and 22 overnight. Without enough paramedics, ambulances that are part of the service’s approved fleet are regularly left unstaffed and unable to respond, reducing coverage across the region and leaving communities vulnerable. This problem will only intensify as the population continues to grow and age.

“These conditions are not sustainable for paramedics or for patient care. These jobs are incredibly taxing, and we deal with trauma every day. We simply cannot provide critical care if we are short staffed,” said James Jovanovic, a paramedic with 17 years’ experience and president of CUPE 2974, representing roughly 320 paramedics. “When ambulances are off the road and paramedics are pushed beyond their limits, the entire community feels the impact.”

Recent independent research by the University of Windsor and the University of Toronto, examining Essex-Windsor paramedics underscores the toll of the job:

• 25% report experiencing PTSD and depression
• 28% suffer from insomnia
• 9% reported suicidal thoughts in the previous 14 days.

The EMS shortage is a province-wide challenge driven by recruitment and retention issues. In Essex-Windsor, according to the service’s own data, staffing levels are regularly short by more than 10 per cent. During a two-week period in September and October 2025, the service recorded 1,481 hours of shortages, accounting for more than 12 per cent of operations.

“Paramedics are burning out faster than the system can replace them,” said Jovanovic. “Basic recovery time is becoming harder to protect. Too many members are working extended shifts, excessive overtime, and high-acuity calls without the relief they need. That is not a recruitment strategy. It’s a recipe for collapse.”

“No paramedic in Ontario wants to be in this position,” Jovanovic added. “We come to work to help people, not to walk picket lines. But we see how broken this system is shift after shift, and we have no choice but to stand up for our patients, our profession, and our mental health.”

CUPE 2974 has put forward proposals focused on recruitment, retention, and burnout prevention, along with fair wages and benefits that recognize paramedics as essential first responders.

“We became paramedics because we want to serve our community,” said Jovanovic. “But compassion alone cannot sustain a system that is being allowed to deteriorate. We need action now, before this crisis deepens further.”

The parties return to the table February 23, 2026 and CUPE Local 2974 remains committed to securing a fair and responsible solution to the staffing and mental health crisis.