Ambulance Service Transition

The City of Spruce Grove is one of seven Alberta municipalities (known as the i7) that operates an integrated Fire-EMS model of emergency services. Firefighters are cross-trained as paramedics and vice versa, meaning any person responding to an emergency in a fire truck or in an ambulance is both a qualified firefighter and paramedic.

In March 2026, the City of Spruce Grove and the other i7 municipalities were advised by Emergency Health Services – Alberta (EHS-AB) of its intent to restructure the ground ambulance service agreement. The restructuring required the City of Spruce Grove to either absorb significant and ongoing additional costs to maintain the integrated service, or transition ambulance operations to an alternate provider chosen by the Province. On May 11, 2026, City Council voted unanimously to reject a permanent taxpayer subsidy for this provincially funded service and begin the process of transitioning to provincially delivered ambulance service, originally set to take effect from October 1, 2026.

In July 2026, following correspondence and meetings between EHS and affected municipalities (including the City of Spruce Grove), the Province announced that it was brining in a third party to review the provincial costing benchmark, with that review set to be completed and its findings shared with municipalities on September 30, 2026. As that timeline did not provide the City adequate time to review the results and fully understand implications, the City requested and received an extension for the transition until November 1, 2026.

At its October 13 meeting, Spruce Grove City Council received and considered additional information regarding the transition, including the outcomes of the third-party benchmarking review. Following the review of this information, Council upheld their original May 11 decision to proceed with the transition to a provincially delivered ambulance service, beginning November 1, 2026.

Emergency medical care will continue

The most important thing for residents to know is that quality emergency medical care in Spruce Grove is not going away.

Following the transition, Alberta Health Services has committed to stationing two Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances in the community. Spruce Grove Fire Services will also continue providing Advanced Life Support Medical First Response (MFR), with dedicated fire staffing and MFR service levels remaining unchanged.

On-site patient care practices will also remain consistent with current operations.

Why Council made this decision

Council's decision was guided by two important considerations: maintaining emergency medical services for residents and ensuring taxpayers receive value for the dollars they contribute.

Under the Province's proposed benchmark funding model, the City would have been required to provide a growing municipal subsidy for ambulance service while receiving no additional ambulances, no enhancement in service levels, no improved response capability, and no additional control over dispatch, deployment, or system operations.

The projected municipal subsidy was approximately $937,846 in Year 1, with additional increases anticipated in future years.

After reviewing the information available, Council concluded that asking local taxpayers to pay significantly more for a service that would remain largely unchanged was not in the community's long-term interest.

"Council would not have supported this transition if we believed residents would receive a lower standard of emergency medical care," said Mayor Jeff Acker. "While the service delivery model is changing, our commitment to public safety remains the same.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple question: will residents continue receiving quality emergency medical care when they need it? The answer is yes. Once we were satisfied that emergency medical care, local ambulances, Medical First Response, and strong fire protection would remain in place, we had to determine whether asking taxpayers to contribute almost $1 million a year, with that amount continuing to grow, was justified without any corresponding increase in service, response capability, or local control. We unanimously concluded it was not, and this decision was made thoughtfully, carefully, and with the long-term interests of Spruce Grove residents in mind."

A model used across Alberta

With its transition to EHS delivery of ambulance services, the City of Spruce Grove is not stepping into unchartered territory.

Integrated fire and ambulance service delivery is relatively uncommon in Alberta. Following the transition, Spruce Grove will receive ambulance service through the same delivery model used by almost all 300+ municipalities across the province, with EHS responsible for dispatch, deployment and system management.

Looking ahead

The City continues to work with EHS to support a smooth transition of ambulance service delivery on November 1. This includes finalizing arrangements to house EHS ambulances within the Protective Services building.

The City will continue to share detailed information about the transition and keep the community up-to-date with all developments. The City will also continue monitoring service levels, advocating for residents and working with the Provincial government to ensure emergency medical services continue to meet the needs of the community as Spruce Grove grows.

The City also wishes to express its appreciation to the firefighters, paramedics, and emergency responders who serve residents every day and acknowledged the important role they will continue to play in protecting the community.

For quick reference information, please see below for a brief guide to what will not change under the City’s transition of ambulance services to EHS, an overall timeline of the decision process, as well as answers to commonly asked questions.

What is not changing as part of the transition

Emergency Services overview

Ambulances

Two ALS ambulances will continue to be stationed in Spruce Grove.
EHS has committed to housing those ambulances within the community.
The City is finalizing a lease arrangement for space within the Protective Services building.

Medical First Response

ALS Medical First Response remains in place.
Spruce Grove Fire Services will continue responding to critical medical emergencies.
Existing MFR staffing remains unchanged.
Existing MFR apparatus remains unchanged.
Existing MFR response capability remains unchanged.

Fire Services

Dedicated fire staffing remains unchanged.
Fire protection capability remains unchanged.
Mutual aid relationships remain unchanged.

Patient Care

Patient care standards remain unchanged.

Non-Critical Patients

For patients who do not require advanced care during transport:
- ALS personnel assess and treat the patient.
- Care may be transferred to BLS personnel for transport.
- This occurs today and will continue following transition.

Critical Patients

For patients requiring advanced care:
- ALS personnel continue providing advanced care.
- ALS-trained personnel remain involved during transport when required.
- This occurs today and will continue following transition.

Timeline to date

Timeline overview

March 13, 2026

The City of Spruce Grove was advised by EHS-AB of potential changes to the current ground ambulance service agreement. EHS-AB indicated it intended to restructure the funding terms, requiring the City to either absorb additional costs to maintain the service, or to transition ambulance operations to an alternate provider of the Province's choosing, as health care is a provincial responsibility. The Province set a deadline of March 31, which was then extended to May 31. See March 27 update.

May 11, 2026

After significant public input and discussion, City Council determined that Spruce Grove taxpayers should not be responsible for the ongoing subsidization of a service that is a provincial responsibility, and unanimously voted to begin the transition to a provincially delivered ambulance service effective October 1, 2026. See May 12 update.

June 22, 2026

The City received a letter from the Honourable Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, advising that she had directed EHS-AB to halt its procurement for EMS operators and to work with the seven affected municipalities on a path forward. The Minister indicated she would invite the City to meet with EHS Alberta leadership and her department in the coming weeks. Unconfirmed public speculation questioned whether the halt in procurement might provide an opportunity for the City to work with the Province on negotiating a funding structure that would allow the City to keep the integrated Fire-EMS service, without requiring a permanent taxpayer subsidy of a provincially funded service. See June 23 update.

July 17, 2026

Mayor Jeff Acker and City Manager Dean Screpnek met with Minister LaGrange to discuss the transition and whether the Province's decision to halt EMS procurement provided an opportunity to negotiate an alternative funding model which would allow Spruce Grove to retain it's integrated Fire-EMS service without taxpayers being required to permanently subsidize the program. The Minister confirmed the Province is not prepared to negotiate a different funding model for Spruce Grove or any of the other affected municipalities. Therefore, Council's decision and the City’s plan to transition to provincially delivered ambulance service on October 1 remains in place. See July 17 update.

July 28, 2026

The City was informed by EHS-AB that the Province intends to bring in a third party to review the provincial costing benchmark for ground ambulance services - the same benchmark rate EHS-AB is requiring the City to meet in order to continue funding the integrated service. The Province told the City the third-party review will be complete by September 30, just one day before the City is set to begin the transition toward provincially delivered ambulance service. As that timeline will not provide the City adequate time to review the results of the costing review and fully understand any implications, the City requested and received an extension for the transition to November 1, 2026. See July 28 update.

October 13, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Will Spruce Grove still have ambulance service?

Yes. The Province has committed to maintaining current service levels, meaning Spruce Grove will be served by two fully staffed Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances based at the Spruce Grove Protective Services building, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The City will track those commitments, including reviewing public service level data, and will hold the Province accountable if they are not met.

Will the City lose control of how, where and when ambulances are dispatched?

Under existing contract arrangements, the City has little to no control on how, where and when ambulances are dispatched. Presently approximately 50% of calls to which local contracted ambulances are dispatched are outside our community (this rate is as high as 65% at times).

Nonetheless, approximately 80% of calls within Spruce Grove are responded to by local contracted ambulances.

With two ALS ambulances to remain stationed in Spruce Grove, and no material changes to control over dispatching, there is no anticipated changes to these service levels.

Will response times get worse?

Dispatch, deployment, and system management decisions are already controlled by EHS. Those realities exist today regardless of the delivery model. The City will continue monitoring service levels and advocating for residents.

Will Medical First Response continue?

Yes. Spruce Grove Fire Services will continue to provide Advanced Life Support Medical First Response. Staffing levels, apparatus and service levels will remain unchanged.

What about patient care during transport?

On-site patient care procedures will continue to follow current practices. Critical patients who require advanced care will continue receiving ALS-level care during transport when medically necessary.

Why didn't the City accept the same extension as St. Albert and Strathcona County?

The City was offered the same extension option. However, this extension was not simply additional time to consider options. Accepting the extension required municipalities to agree to the benchmark rate and commit to a longer-term arrangement at the end of the extension period.

The extension was intended to provide a budgeting transition period for municipalities willing to accept the benchmark model, not additional time for further negotiation or reconsideration. Since Council did not support the benchmark model, the extension was not considered a viable option.

What happened at the meeting with the Minister in July 2026?

The Mayor and City Manager asked the Minister directly whether the Province's pause of its EMS procurement process opened the door to negotiating new funding or new contract terms for Spruce Grove’s integrated Fire-EMS service. The Minister confirmed that it does not. The Province is not changing its position on integrated Fire-EMS funding, and is not open to negotiations on funding levels.

Could Council still reverse its decision?

No. Council’s decision on October 13 to uphold their original decision (reached on May 11, 2026), is final and the transition to provincially-delivered ground ambulance service will proceed as planned on November 1, 2026.

Why won’t the City just pay the difference?

For several reasons:

The subsidy amount is not a fixed number, and is not a one-time cost. Taxpayers would be responsible for an additional nearly $1 million in year one, with this amount expected to grow each year, and with no certainty about future provincial funding.
The Province has made no commitment to long-term financials, which means the cost requirement could change at any time.
Ground ambulance has been a provincial responsibility since 2008. Council will not ask residents to pay a permanent and ever-growing subsidy for a provincial service they already pay for through their provincial taxes. Opening the door to local governments funding provincial health services would set a precedent with long-term consequences for Spruce Grove and for municipalities across Alberta.

Did Council consider all options?

Yes, they did. Over the months that have followed the Province’s notification on March 13 of their intention to restructure the ground ambulance service agreement, Council and Administration have reviewed all options, financial and operational analysis, and jurisdictional implications. Council heard the facts and heard directly from residents and from our Emergency Services personnel. Council also considered the findings of the Province’s third-party benchmarking review. The decision was reached after full deliberation. It was made thoughtfully, carefully, and with the long-term interests of Spruce Grove residents in mind.

Is EHS ambulance service new to Spruce Grove?

No, EHS service is not new to the community. Nearly one in two calls attended by our ambulances are outside of Spruce Grove. When our ambulances are tied up on calls outside the city, residents are served by EHS ambulances. That happens regularly today.

What happens next?

Where can I get accurate and up-to-date information?

This web page is the source of the most accurate and up-to-date information.