Winnipeg City admits staffing shortages after man waited 11 hours for ambulance

A Winnipeg man waited an astounding 11 hours for an ambulance, and the city is now admitting "significant staffing shortages" are to blame for the shocking failure of emergency services.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

A Winnipeg man waited an astounding 11 hours for an ambulance, and the city is now admitting “significant staffing shortages” are to blame for the shocking failure of emergency services.

Ken MacKinnon, a Winnipeg resident, slipped on icy streets outside his home on Dec. 20, landing on his hip, as reported by Now Toronto.

MacKinnon said a water main break had occurred on his street, and while the city scraped the ice, it failed to sand the street, making it like a “polished ice rink.”

A spokesperson for the city of Winnipeg confirmed a water main broke on Lipton Street on Dec. 6 and was repaired by Dec. 8. She said the street was sanded on Dec. 10 and that no water main break had occurred after that incident.

After MacKinnon’s fall, neighbours brought him into their house. He said he called 911 “six or seven times” during the 11-hour wait before finally being picked up at 9 p.m. EST.

Julie Dooley, the acting manager of corporate communications for the city, told True North that the city could not provide details about medical calls but confirmed it was short of ambulances during both the day and night shifts on Dec. 20, the day MacKinnon reportedly fell.

“The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service staffs 19 ambulances around the clock. Two crews are assigned to each ambulance each day. One crew works a 12-hour day shift; the other works a 12-hour night shift,” Dooley said in an email.

She said WFPS also staffs 11 ambulances with crews working 12-hour shifts during the part of the day when call volumes are “typically” the highest

“On December 20, 2025, we experienced staffing shortages. We had 16 of 19 ambulances staffed for the day shift and 14 of 19 ambulances staffed for the night shift. We staffed eight of the 11 ambulances planned for staggered-start shifts,” she said.

She confirmed that the WFPS uses the Medical Priority Dispatch System to triage calls, with dispatchers classifying and prioritizing each call based on symptoms. MacKinnon’s call was likely pushed down the priority chain throughout the day.

“While we strive to respond as quickly as possible, some patients may experience longer wait times—similar to what can occur in an emergency department. In certain cases, a WFPS advanced care paramedic may assess a patient over the phone while awaiting an available ambulance,” Dooley added. “This process helps determine the most appropriate crew and timing for dispatch.”

According to the interview MacKinnon gave to Now Toronto, he doesn’t know if he will sue the city as he’s not confident it will change anything, but that he would like to “see some changes in the system.”