Alberta’s paramedics are working thousands of hours of overtime every month, according to new data released by their union.
The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) says documents it received from a freedom of information request reveal EMS personnel have worked more than 30,000 hours of overtime each month this year.
Overtime now accounts for roughly eight to 12 per cent of all hours worked by paramedics across the province, it adds.
The documents also show that Alberta Health Services (AHS) hasn’t filled its total funded hours for paramedics once in the last three years, something HSAA vice-president Leanne Alfaro says is unacceptable.
“Paramedics across Alberta are being pushed to their breaking point,” she said. “This is more than just picking up a few extra shifts. EMS in Alberta now relies on exhausted professionals who are routinely working long stretches, sometimes mandatory and without rest, to give everything they can without the support they need.”
All of this is exacerbated by the province’s growing population and the failure of the medical system to keep pace.
AHS documents made public under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) show that while Alberta’s population increased by almost 10 per cent between 2022 and 2025, the amount of paramedics grew by just 4.5 per cent. The HSAA says the total number of advanced care paramedics in full-time positions didn’t change at all during that time; 840 were on the job in May, the same amoutn as in 2022.
“The numbers tell a clear story,” said Alfaro. “Paramedics are covering thousands of extra hours every month because there simply aren’t enough of them. Alberta can’t expect to improve emergency response while burning out our first responders. Better compensation and working conditions would actually save taxpayer dollars while helping Alberta retain and recruit more of these critical health-care professionals.”
HSAA represents more than 30,000 healthcare professionals, including paramedics, respiratory therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, and diagnostic imaging technologists.
660 NewsRadio has reached out to the province for comment.