MLA sounds the alarm as P.E.I. ambulance wait times soar along with population [Video]

A Progressive Conservative backbencher blasted his own party in the legislature Thursday, asking why wait times for ambulance service on P.E.I. are so long — often more than 16 minutes.

Robin Croucher, the MLA for Souris-Elmira and himself a firefighter and former paramedic, asked P.E.I. Health Minister Mark McLane during question period what he is doing to alleviate the problem.   

“We have a problem, and it’s not going away. In fact, ambulance response times are getting worse every day,” Croucher said. “We simply do not have enough ambulances or paramedics to provide accessible and efficient coverage for our province.” 

McLane responded that the number of calls to ambulances over the last five years has increased by about seven per cent a year. 

“With population expansion on P.E.I., we have certainly many more calls to deal with,” the health minister said.

The volume of ambulance calls has risen by more than …