Alberta’s government shows no signs of reversing its decision to centralize EMS dispatch despite municipal pushback from a coalition of local mayors – including one who has challenged the UCP to remove him..Wood Buffalo Mayor Don Scott said the move means slower response times to those who require urgent care..Premier Jason Kenney told a Thursday press conference the province decided to centralize EMS dispatch at the recommendations of “multiple expert panels.” He said Health Minister Tyler Shandro would be talking to Scott on the issue..“I hope they can find a sensible solution,” Kenney said..Wood Buffalo jurisdiction, which includes Fort McMurray, is among four in the province – including Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge – whose dispatches were not centralized under the consolidated system in 2009..In a separate press conference, Scott stated: “There are circumstances where acts of defiance and resistance are absolutely necessary..“When decisions are made by a level of government that put the health of residents at risk in this region, we need to resist and defy that decision.”.Wood Buffalo council Wednesday night unanimously supported the decision to provide notice to Alberta Health Services its communication centre will no longer transfer 911 calls to the AHS provincial dispatch centre..“This should come as no surprise to AHS,” said Scott..“We have been telling them for seven months that if they went through with the transition they proposed, that there would be a reduction in service that would put our residents’ health at risk,” he said..“A few weeks ago, that shift we predicted occurred. It degrades essential services and is completely unacceptable.”.And if the UCP didn’t like it, Scott challenged them to remove him as mayor..Former Wildrose leader, and Fort McMurray resident, Brian Jean took to Twitter, in a since-deleted post, suggesting the move is a continuation of efforts to “centralize everything” in the post-Ralph Klein era..“It’s a fact that central planning doesn’t work – the Iron Curtain countries proved that,” he wrote..“I will never be convinced that Edmonton can run Wood Buffalo’s ambulance dispatch.”.Dhaliwal is the Western Standard’s Edmonton based correspondent
