Cambridge Expands Paramedic Services to Enhance Emergency Response

A new paramedic services post is set to be established at 651 Concession Road in Cambridge, aimed at improving ambulance response times and enhancing coverage in the city’s southern region. The project received approval from Cambridge’s committee of adjustment on March 15, 2024, marking a significant step towards addressing the growing demand for emergency medical services.

The initiative is part of a broader effort by regional officials to alleviate the pressure on paramedic resources, which have been strained in comparison to neighboring municipalities such as Kitchener and Waterloo. During a recent regional meeting, Councillor Doug Craig expressed concerns regarding the disparity in response times, prompting discussions on how to enhance service efficiency.

John Riches, Paramedic Chief, highlighted that one of the primary challenges contributing to slower response times is the off-load delay at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. During the first half of 2025, ambulances experienced an average wait time of 68 minutes at this facility to transfer patients into care, significantly longer than the 37 minutes at the midtown site and 33 minutes at the Queen’s site. Riches noted, “It’s almost double what our other hospitals experience,” pointing to the delays as a critical factor affecting emergency response capabilities.

Despite the ongoing challenges, Riches reported improvements compared to previous years. He stated, “Cambridge is working to solve the problem,” but emphasized that when resources are tied up in hospitals, it limits their availability to respond to community emergencies. In the first half of this year, paramedic services across the region responded to 37,162 calls, up from 36,500 in 2024, with Cambridge accounting for 15,765 of those calls. The region also saw a significant reduction in Code Zero events, where no ambulances are available, dropping from 33 events in 2024 to just four events this year.

Currently, paramedic crews in Cambridge operate from three locations: 120 Maple Grove Rd, 91 St. Andrews St, and 465 Pinebush Rd, Unit 1. The new facility will accommodate up to six ambulances simultaneously, allowing for better resource distribution based on time of day, call volume, and crew workloads. The station is anticipated to be operational by late 2027, with a total estimated capital cost of $12.6 million.

The regional authorities have stated that this new station is designed to support the overall performance of paramedic services in Cambridge and the southern part of the Region of Waterloo. Moving forward, Riches and his team are collaborating with other paramedic services across Ontario to learn best practices from regions that have achieved faster response times, particularly in rural and suburban areas.

Councillor Doug Craig has urged for a deeper investigation into successful models from other regions in Ontario. “If there are other areas in rural Ontario that have better response times than what we’re seeing here, I’m wondering if we could have a further investigation of what they’re doing and how it may be perhaps transported here as a model,” Craig stated.

As Cambridge prepares for this development, the community is hopeful that the new paramedic post will lead to quicker response times and improved emergency medical services for residents in need.