The Saskatchewan Health Authority board has voted to end the contract with WPD Ambulance which saw it providing services to Lloydminster. In October last year, the board started the procedure by informing the health minister that it wished to sever ties with Dutchak Holdings Limited which exercised the contract since June 2013.
Also, at the end of August 2021, Alberta Health Services terminated the services of WPD Ambulance on the Alberta side of Lloydminster.
At Wednesday’s meeting the SHA board voted affirmatively to proceed with its decision.
With Dutchak Holdings Limited seeking arbitration, Emergency Medical Services Executive Director Rod MacKenzie says the contract has options with respect to both sides of Lloydminster.
“Dutchak Holdings had a contract with Alberta Health Services to provide services on the Alberta side. We have a contract with Dutchak to provide services on the Saskatchewan side. There are clauses in the contract that refer to having contracts on both sides. And there is a clause in the contract that allows us to exercise some options based on them not having a contract on the Alberta side.”
MacKenzie says the board’s decision will be included in the arbitration, but he was not able to give a time when the dispute resolution process will be concluded.
“The Ambulance Act is silent on that. It says,’it will continue on until the dispute resolution process has worked itself out.’ We do have an arbitrator that has been assigned to the file and we are working with the arbitrator and Dutchak Holdings to find arbitration dates. Our hope is to move this forward as quickly as possible.”
The board has resolved to terminate the WPD contract for just cause based on the expiry of the AHS agreement with Dutchak Holdings to provide services to the Alberta side of Lloydminster.