Essex-Windsor paramedics, represented by CUPE Local 2974, have set a strike deadline of 12:00 a.m. on Monday, October 5, 2026.
Let us be clear: we do not seek a strike. We seek a fair collective agreement that stabilizes Essex-Windsor EMS, improves the recruitment and retention of qualified paramedics, and protects the emergency medical service our community depends upon.
The Union could have chosen an earlier strike date. We deliberately did not. Nor were we required to announce it this far in advance.
We gave our community nearly two months’ notice so that those responsible for resolving this dispute, and the public who would bear its consequences, know precisely what is at stake and have meaningful time to act. These weeks must not be lost to inaction. They must be used to confront the problems facing the service and reach an agreement.
For months, the Union has participated fully in bargaining, conciliation and the essential ambulance services process before the Ontario Labour Relations Board. At every stage, we have advanced proposals, made meaningful compromises and worked to narrow the remaining differences while pursuing solutions to the serious staffing and retention challenges affecting Essex-Windsor EMS.
We repeatedly sought to bring these concerns directly before County Council. Those opportunities were denied. Even so, we have ensured that councillors and the public have access to complete and accurate information about the state of the service and the issues remaining at the bargaining table. County administration and County Council are fully informed.
These negotiations are about the future stability of Essex-Windsor EMS. No single proposal or figure tells the whole story. A lasting agreement requires meaningful solutions to the recruitment and retention crisis, along with seriousness, consistency and a genuine commitment to resolution at the bargaining table.
Recent actions by the County, at and away from the bargaining table, have moved the parties further from agreement at the very moment every effort should be directed toward reaching one.
No paramedic wants to strike. We did not enter this profession to walk a picket line. We entered it to answer the call, care for people in their most difficult moments and serve our community.
Our responsibility to the public requires us to speak plainly when the service they depend upon is at risk. The problems facing Essex-Windsor EMS have been allowed to deepen for too long. They cannot again be deferred or accepted as the cost of inaction. The time for delay has passed. They must be confronted now and resolved for good.
If an agreement is not reached before the deadline, Essex-Windsor paramedics will begin the first region-wide paramedic strike in local history. Under the essential-services ruling issued by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, a strike would result in an approximately 20 per cent overall reduction in EMS service across Windsor, Essex County and Pelee Island.
We neither welcome that prospect nor minimize what it would mean for our community. This outcome remains avoidable. CUPE Local 2974.2 remains ready and willing to return to the bargaining table at any time before October 5.
Our community deserves an ambulance service built to endure, capable of recruiting and retaining the experienced paramedics it depends upon. Our paramedics deserve an agreement that recognizes the weight of the responsibilities they carry and the value of the service they provide.
County administration and County Council still have time to prevent this outcome. If they fail to use it, residents will have their opportunity on October 26 to weigh the record of their elected representatives at the ballot box.
If a strike occurs, it will not be because there wasn’t time to prevent it.
James Jovanovic
President
CUPE Local 2974
On behalf of CUPE Local 2974.2
Essex-Windsor Paramedics October 5 Strike Deadline Release
