I will say that not only are we stepping up, but we have stepped up. We had a top-up of funding directly to Ottawa of $2.6 million through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program. The member opposite knows that I’ve spoken about this program many times because it is something that paramedics and the hospital clinicians see as a real game-changer, ensuring that paramedics can get back out into community and make sure that they have appropriate care within the emergency department.

We’ve done that work. I met with the mayor of Ottawa on Monday, spoke to him again yesterday. I meet regularly and talk regularly to the Ottawa hospitals. We know that they are using effectively the 911 model of care, where paramedics, with the patient’s approval, can take individuals somewhere else other than the emergency department. These are real changes on the ground that are making a difference in the lives of the people of Ontario.

My question is for the Premier. Last year, paramedics in Ottawa set a new record, but it’s not a good one: 1,806 times the Ottawa paramedics hit level zero. There were no paramedics available to respond to calls for more than 73,000 minutes. Paramedics spent 93,000 hours at emergency rooms in off-load delay.

The city is requesting provincial funding to help alleviate the off-load delay problem at Ottawa’s backlogged emergency rooms in our hospitals. Will the government step up and provide the funding Ottawa needs to keep more ambulances on the road?

The off-load delay at the Ottawa Hospital means that paramedics are waiting two and a half hours at the emergency room to get back on the road. For two consecutive years now, the Ottawa Paramedic Service has failed to meet the legislated response time of six minutes for sudden cardiac arrest. Last year, they only hit their legislated requirement 48% of the time.

Mr. Speaker, imagine watching your loved one die of a heart attack right in front of you because there’s no ambulance available to come.

Will the government do the right thing and get Ottawa the resources it needs to keep paramedics on the road responding to 911 calls?

The member opposite speaks of the report that’s going to the city next week. I’ve read it, and it talks about the benefits that they have seen as a result of using the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program.

In terms of land ambulance support, of course, we partner, 50-50, with our municipal partners, so every time they add a new ambulance, every time they add a new paramedic, the Ministry of Health and the province of Ontario are there to support with 50% funding, and we will continue to do that because we want to make sure that 911 models of care, Dedicated Offload Nursing Programs, a Learn and Stay program that is available in northern Ontario for paramedics who train—we are covering their tuition and education costs so that they can continue to serve in underserved communities. We’re doing all of this work to ensure that the people of Ottawa and all of Ontario have appropriate care in their community.