A group of civic leaders is lobbying the province to do more to bolster EMT staffing levels in rural Manitoba.

A number of mayors, reeves and heads of council went to Winnipeg in mid June to meet with a couple of government minister to talk about their concerns.

Grassland Reeve Ruth Mealy was part of the group. “We met in Winnipeg with Minister Gordon and Minister Reyes to develop a case for more training for EMT’s in the province and to look at the whole para medicine situation in rural Manitoba to see if they could look at implementing more ideas to make it more efficient and better for people in rural Manitoba.”

“We hear they’re very understaffed and some of the staff are reaching retirement age and so we’re lobbying the province to increase the amount of paramedic training in rural Manitoba and to look at opening up training spots in rural Manitoba so people can get trained closer to home.”

Civic leader know municipalities have to do more to support young people to go into that field as a profession. “In the past it used to volunteers in rural communities and know it indeed is a profession and a career people can move into.”

Mealy says the province was receptive to their presentation and the group was told the province was willing to look at more training in rural areas.

“It was a productive meeting and we’re hoping to hear more good news on that front” said Ruth Mealy.