FAQ: Negotiations between the County of Essex and CUPE Local 2974.2

NEW on July 13: What is the County's response to the July 10 Essential Ambulance Services Agreement decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board?

A: The County of Essex acknowledges the decision of the Ontario Labour Relations Board regarding the Essential Ambulance Services Agreement.

The Board's decision establishes the level of ambulance service that must be maintained should a labour disruption occur. While the Board’s decision permits a lower level of ambulance service than the County sought, the County respects the authority of the Ontario Labour Relations Board and will comply with its decision.

County administration and Essex-Windsor EMS are reviewing the decision and will continue planning to maximize available ambulance resources and maintain reliable emergency medical services to the greatest extent possible within the framework established by the Board.

Essex-Windsor EMS continues to operate normally while the parties finalize the Essential Ambulance Services Agreement.

Public safety remains the County’s highest priority.

The County remains committed to the collective bargaining process and to reaching a fair, sustainable and negotiated agreement.

Q: Why is the County publishing this FAQ?

A: The County is committed to transparency regarding issues of public safety and is providing this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to address common questions about the labour relations framework governing Ontario’s ambulance services and the current state of negotiations between the County and CUPE Local 2974.2, which represents local paramedics. The County is also committed to bargaining in good faith and will not be negotiating in the media or on social media, with all negotiations being reserved for the bargaining table and other formal resolution processes available to the County and the Union. The County's position throughout this process has been guided by public safety and the need to maintain reliable emergency services for residents of the County of Essex, the City of Windsor, and the Township of Pelee Island.

This FAQ will be updated with relevant information when appropriate. As such, the County encourages the public to check this FAQ from time to time for the most up-to-date information available.

To see a list of defined terms used throughout this FAQ, please refer to the bottom of this FAQ.

Q: How is Essex-Windsor EMS operated and funded?

A: EMS is a Department of the County, with all paramedics for the Region being County employees. The EMS Department has a 50/50 shared funding agreement between the Region and the Province of Ontario.  Most EMS operating costs, including the compensation paid to paramedics, are funded through a 50% contribution from provincial dollars, with the remaining 50% collected through the municipal taxes by the County of Essex, the City of Windsor, and the Township of Pelee Island.

Q: Why is a potential job action on the part of the Union being discussed in the news and on social media?

A: The current four-year Collective Agreement between the County and the Union expired on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Through EMS, the County is responsible for providing land ambulance services and pre-hospital emergency care to the residents of the County, the City of Windsor, and the Township of Pelee Island. Negotiations on a new Collective Agreement are underway.

The current Collective Agreement can be reviewed on the Government of Ontario’s Collective Agreements e-Library Portal.

Despite the March 31, 2026, expiry of the current Collective Agreement, it remains in effect until a new Collective Agreement is reached.  As further outlined below, there are still numerous processes that would need to be exhausted before any labour disruption could even be a possibility.

Q: Who is involved in negotiations and when are you meeting next?

A: The negotiations process includes representatives from both the Union and the County.

• The Union’s Negotiations Committee is composed of the Local Union President, a National Representative, and elected members from the bargaining unit.
• The County’s Negotiations Committee includes the County’s CAO, the County’s Director of Human Resources, the Chief of EMS, and members of the EMS leadership team.

The County and Union have met on ten separate occasions to date, including two days of conciliation facilitated by a Conciliation Officer appointed by the Ministry of Labour. 

The Employer proposed additional bargaining dates during the week of March 3; however, those dates were not scheduled. The Union proceeded to request the appointment of a Conciliation Officer. Following the appointment of a Conciliation Officer, the parties participated in two days of conciliation and continued bargaining discussions. Four additional bargaining dates were subsequently scheduled in June; however, those dates were later cancelled by the Union. A bargaining date has been scheduled for August 5.

A Conciliation Officer is a neutral third party appointed by the Ministry of Labour to assist the parties in reaching a collective agreement. The Conciliation Officer does not impose a settlement but works with both sides to help move discussions forward and explore possible resolution options.

Discussions to date have been professional and focused on the issues raised during bargaining.  The County remains committed to continued dialogue and to working toward a collective agreement that balances the interests of paramedics with the responsibility to taxpayers across the Region. Public safety and the continued provision of reliable emergency medical services for residents of Windsor, Essex County and Pelee Island is a top priority for the County of Essex.

Q: What if the two sides can’t reach a new collective agreement?

A: The County remains committed to reaching a negotiated settlement, as has been the case in previous rounds of bargaining.

If an agreement is not reached at the bargaining table, the process is governed by provincial legislation, including the Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, 2001 and the Labour Relations Act, 1995. These statutes establish a structured process that may include conciliation, mediation, interest arbitration, or a work disruption, depending on the circumstances and the direction of the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

There is a clear legal framework in place to guide the parties toward resolution.

Q: Are Paramedics considered an essential service?

A: Paramedics provide a vital and critical public service. However, under Ontario’s labour relations framework, ambulance services are not designated as an “essential service” in the same manner as police and fire services. That said, the Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, 2001 requires that an Essential Ambulance Services Agreement be in place during any labour dispute to ensure that core emergency services continue to be provided to the community.

Q: How could public safety and ambulance service be impacted by a work disruption?

A:  Ontario law provides that ambulance services are subject to specific legislative requirements designed to protect core emergency services during a labour dispute.

Before any work disruption could occur, the County and the Union must have an Essential Ambulance Services Agreement (EASA) in place. This agreement determines the level of ambulance service that must continue to operate to ensure public safety. If the parties are unable to reach agreement, the Ontario Labour Relations Board would determine the required level of service.

A work disruption cannot legally occur unless this process has been completed.

Q: What is an Essential Ambulance Services Agreement and what happens next?

A: Before any labour disruption can occur, an Essential Ambulance Services Agreement (EASA) is legally required to be in place between the County and the Union. The EASA establishes the level of ambulance service that must be maintained in the event of a labour disruption, and, again, there can be no work stoppage unless an EASA is in place.

The County and the Union appeared before the Ontario Labour Relations Board regarding the EASA in April and again on June 22, 2026. Following the conclusion of oral arguments on June 22, 2026, the board advised that it expects to issue a decision by July 10, 2026.

Once the board issues its decision, the County and Union must use that decision to finalize the details of the EASA. Only after the EASA has been finalized can either party request a "No Board Report" from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. 

If a No Board Report is issued, a statutory countdown period of 17 days begins before any legal strike or lockout could occur. This 17-day period is a mandatory timeline, but is often used for further attempts to negotiate, mediate, or attempt further conciliation.

Public safety remains the County's highest priority throughout this process. Essex-Windsor EMS continues to operate normally, operational planning is underway for a variety of potential scenarios, and the County remains committed to the collective bargaining process and reaching a negotiated agreement. 

Q: What impact could there be on other emergency services if there is a labour disruption with EMS?

A: There is no anticipated impact on other emergency services, such as police and fire at this time. Should this expectation change for any reason, EMS would contact its emergency services partners to discuss operational issues, and to ensure as little impact on the public and other services as possible.

Once an EASA process is complete and the EASA is finalized, the level of ambulance service that must continue to operate to ensure public safety will be clearly established. EMS leadership would then use the completed EASA to finalize plans for service delivery during any labour disruption that would support public safety and the continued provision of reliable emergency medical services for our Region. 

If a reduction in service is permitted by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, EMS leadership would coordinate with other emergency services to explore ways that other services may assist during a labour disruption.  It would only be at that time that EMS can speak to what impact, if any, there could be on the emergency services partners of EMS.

Q: The Union has stated that wages are the primary issue and point to being paid 20 per cent less than police and firefighters. Is that true?

A: The County recognizes the professionalism, skill, and dedication of its paramedics and values the critical service they provide to the residents of the Region. 

Across Ontario, compensation structure for paramedics, police, and firefighters differ. While police and fire services operate under separate legislative frameworks and bargaining structures, paramedic wages are typically compared to other municipal land ambulance services.

When compared to similar paramedic services in Ontario, the County wage rates are competitive. The most recent comparable municipality to conclude bargaining was York Region, and the County has considered that settlement, along with other recent paramedic agreements in Ontario, in developing its wage proposal.

Out of respect for the collective bargaining process, the County will not disclose specific proposals currently under discussion. However, the current Collective Agreement, a four-year agreement ending on March 31, 2026, provided paramedics with the following wage increases:

• 2022 – 2 Wage Increases
• April 1, 2022 – 1.5% increase
• September 26, 2022 – 1.5% increase
• 2023 – 2 Wage Increases
• April 1, 2023 – 1.5% increase
• September 25, 2023 – 1.5% increase
• 2024 – 2 Wage Increases
• April 1, 2024 – 1.5% increase
• October 7, 2024 – 1.5% increase PLUS:
• an additional $0.15/hour for Primary Care Paramedics
• an additional $0.25/hour for Advanced Care Paramedics
• 2025 – 2 Wage Increases
• April 1, 2025 – 1.5% increase
• October 6, 2025 – 1.5% increase PLUS:
• an additional $0.15/hour for Primary Care Paramedics
• an additional $0.25/hour for Advanced Care Paramedics

As of the end of the current agreement, the top hourly wage is:

• Advanced Care Paramedic: $49.50
• Primary Care Paramedic: $46.52

The County remains committed to bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement that prioritizes public safety, reflects the value of our paramedics, maintains competitive compensation, and is fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of our Region.

PLEASE NOTE: This FAQ will be updated with relevant information as circumstances change and when appropriate.  As such, the County encourages the public to check this FAQ from time to time for the most up-to-date information available.

Defined Terms

For ease of reference and consistency in the FAQ, the following terms are defined and used throughout the FAQ.

“Collective Agreement” means the collective agreement between the County and the Union.

“County” means the Corporation of the County of Essex as a municipal corporation but may be used interchangeably with the County as a geographic area.

“EASA” means an Essential Ambulance Services Agreement as defined in the Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 10, and which relates to the setting of the level of service for Essential Ambulance Services during a labour disruption.

“EMS” means the Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Service, that, while a Department of the County, provides land ambulance services to the residents of the County, the City of Windsor, and the Township of Pelee Island.

“Essential Ambulance Services” has the meaning assigned to it in the Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 10, which for ease of reference is as follows:

(a)  ambulance services provided to,

(i)  persons who have suffered a trauma or an acute onset of illness, either of which could endanger their life, limb or functioning, or

(ii) persons who have been judged by a physician or a physician’s delegate to be in an unstable medical condition and to require, while being transported, both the care of a physician, a nurse, another health care provider, an emergency medical attendant or a paramedic and the use of a stretcher,

(b)  call-taking and dispatching services required for the provision of   ambulance services,

(c)  if the employer provides integrated dispatching services, call-taking and dispatching services required for the provision of fire protection services or policing or both,

(d)  work that is incidental to a service described in clause (a), (b) or (c),

(e)  work that is performed on or in connection with an ambulance to protect health or safety, or

(f)  the prescribed services [i.e. services prescribed by provincial Regulation].

“FAQ” means this Frequently Asked Questions document.

“Region” means the County, the City of Windsor, and the Township of Pelee Island collectively.

“Union” means CUPE Local 2974.2, which represents the 320 unionized paramedics employed by the County/EMS.