Half of Quebecers without first responder services: auditor general

More than two-thirds of municipalities, home to half of Quebec’s population, do not have first responder services, notes the Auditor General of Quebec.

In his report published Thursday, he states that for 45 per cent of “very urgent” calls in these municipalities, paramedics took more than 10 minutes to reach the patient.

However, in the case of cardiopulmonary arrest, for example, every minute without intervention reduces the chances of survival by seven to 10 per cent. After 10 minutes, the chances of survival are almost zero, he notes.

First responders generally arrive on scene more quickly to provide basic care, while paramedics provide more advanced medical care and safe transportation.

The Act Respecting Pre-Hospital Emergency Services stipulates that Santé Québec must take the necessary measures to support the establishment of a first responder service within the territory of each of its institutions.

As of the winter of 2025, a committee composed of the Ministry of Health, Santé Québec, the Union of Municipalities, and the Fédération québécoise des municipalités had still not reached an agreement on how to fund this service.

Furthermore, between 2020 and 2024, Quebec paramedics spent an average of half their emergency room interventions waiting for their patient to be treated and repairing their vehicle.

For nearly a quarter of these interventions, the time spent in the emergency room exceeded one hour.

Two of the three institutions audited by the auditor also conducted a “clearly insufficient” number of quality checks on the interventions performed by paramedics, the report states.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews