Paramedic Services improves response times for most urgent calls

Newmarket – York Regional Council received an update outlining 2025 paramedic response time results. York Region Paramedic Services exceeded response time targets for the most urgent medical emergencies in 2025, the first full year operating under the new Medical Priority Dispatch System.

The new dispatch system is designed to better identify the most serious and life-threatening emergencies, directing paramedic resources where they are needed most.

“The Medical Priority Dispatch System is helping us get the right resources to the right patients at the right time,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “First-year results reflect the dedication and professionalism of our paramedics while demonstrating how the system is improving response times for the most urgent emergencies, where every second can make a difference.”

Highlights of the 2025 York Region Paramedic Services response times include:

• Responding to 99,150 incidents, a 3.8% increase from 2024; incidents are expected to continue to increase with a growing and aging population
• Exceeding response target times for the most severe and life-threatening cases (sudden cardiac arrest or absence of breathing), with an average of 5 minutes and 43 seconds; response times for the least urgent cases (minor ailments or general pain) averaged 14 minutes and 35 seconds
• Integrated community-based strategies involving local municipal fire services and Automated External Defibrillator Programs (AEDs) play a vital role during sudden cardiac arrest emergencies; in 2025, 11 of 215 public AEDs were used to assist people during medical emergencies, compared with five in 2024
• Transfer times at hospitals remained below the Region’s target of 30 minutes; continued collaboration with hospital partners and the Ministry of Health-funded Dedicated Offload Nurses Program has helped improve coordination, patient flow and reduce offload delays, allowing paramedics to return to service more quickly

“As demand for paramedic services continues to grow, York Region remains committed to investing in the services, partnerships and innovative approaches needed to continue building a stronger, more resilient emergency response system,” said City of Vaughan Regional Councillor Gino Rosati, Chair of Community and Health Services. “With continuous improvement, collaboration with hospitals and innovative community-based programs, we are strengthening the system and ensuring residents receive high-quality care when they need it most.”

Under the previous dispatch model, some lower-acuity calls were over-prioritized, leading to unnecessary lights-and-sirens responses and inUnder the previous dispatch model, some lower-acuity calls were over-prioritized, leading to unnecessary lights-and-sirens responses and increased pressure on available paramedic resources. The new system more accurately matches response levels to patient needs, resulting in slightly longer response times for some less urgent calls.

In December 2025, Regional Council approved allowing paramedic service vehicles responding to lower acuity calls to use York Region’s dedicated bus lanes. This change is expected to help support response times during less urgent calls and provide safer, more efficient emergency response under the new dispatch model.

York Region will continue monitoring performance under the Medical Priority Dispatch System while advancing initiatives identified in the Paramedic Services Master Plan 2021-2031 to meet the needs of a growing population.

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to more than 1.3 million residents and over 58,000 businesses with 624,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/RegionalServices

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Media Contact:

Tamara Ostrowski, Corporate Communications,
The Regional Municipality of York
Phone: 1-877-464-9675, ext. 71226
Cell: 905-251-6412
Email: @email