2-person paramedic crew to address overdoses in Winnipeg core area
Posted June 3, 2026 6:45 pm.
A dedicated paramedic crew, naloxone training and oxygen therapy are some of the measures the province is taking in a bid to tackle the toxic drug crisis, but the city says the shortages within the paramedic service need to be addressed on a broader scale.
“The dedicated ambulance will ensure that the firefighters can respond to their calls, that there is not a number of paramedics that are responding in and around to the calls in that area, but we have a dedicated team that is right there responding to the need,” said Bernadette Smith, Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness.
The three-month pilot with the WFPS, beginning this month, will deploy a dedicated two-person paramedic team available 24-7 to respond to overdose calls in high-need areas. This includes the shelter sector.
“We want to make sure that we are responding to the crisis that we are hearing and seeing. This came from the front-line organizations as well as WFPS saying that this would be help and support with this,” said Smith.
This comes as the front-liners are reporting an increased number of overdoses this year.
According to WFPS data, crews responded to 2,447 opioid-related incidents during the first five months of 2026, compared to 2,004 calls linked to alcohol use. During the same period in 2025, crews responded to 1,089 opioid-related calls and 1,792 alcohol-related calls.
Schmidt says sometimes the crews respond to an average of eight calls in the shelter area.
“Last week, I believe we had four, at least four days, where we had ambulances that were not able to be staffed. So, when, as an example, when that occurs, this additional unit for responding in the core area, we obviously wouldn’t be able to staff that unit area, either because we can’t even get enough personnel to staff the baseline number of units. The baseline units are 30,” said Christian Schmidt, fire and paramedic chief of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Scott Gillingham said, “We support the goal of getting emergency medical care to vulnerable people faster and reducing pressure on shelter staff, firefighters, and paramedics. However, this initiative must protect emergency coverage across the whole city. Any dedicated service unit can and will only be staffed after regular city-wide ambulance shifts are fully covered.”
MGEU president Kyle Ross says, the staffing shortages and extensive call volumes contribute to burnout within the service.
“It’s a good idea on paper, but it’s going to be very difficult to implement with the scenario we are facing right now,” said Ross.
“At the same time, Winnipeg paramedics remain without a collective agreement. Their contract expired in February 2024, and an arbitration hearing is scheduled to begin in September.”
Adding, “But unfortunately when you have a paramedic service with 170 vacancies it makes it pretty challenging to take on new roles or new programs.”
Jamil Mahmood, the executive director of Main Street Project, welcomed the additional resources, but added that more resources are needed, and highlighted the need for declaring a public health emergency over the overdose crisis, as he believes the drug supply in the city is becoming more toxic.
“Prior to April, we were responding to an average of three overdoses a day through shelter outreach or other programs, but that number is closer to 10-15 now, so it almost tripled in what we are seeing daily,” said Mahmood.
“With larger numbers of overdoses, it will be helpful, and the training with the oxygen concentrators with supporting for first-aid response. It’s important, but it’s wholly inadequate for what we need on the front lines right now, and we’ve been clear about that.”
