French is in decline in the largest cities of northern Ontario. But a new wind seems to be blowing through Timmins, since the appointment, in October 2022, of a first Franco-Ontarian mayor. The duty went there to take stock of the state of French in the city with a heart of gold, overtaken by numerous crises.
Paramedics in Timmins, who are struggling to treat their patients in French, are increasing recruitment strategies to attract the next generation. But the service often has to put aside its bilingualism requirements to resist the labor shortage.
“We already have a challenge recruiting new paramedics. Then, in recent years, we have had even more difficulty recruiting French speakers,” explains Duty Jean Carrière, director and head of emergency health services for the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CASSDC).
The population of the district, which includes majority French-speaking communities, is “not necessarily” served in their language, he admits.
In a context of shortage across the province, Mr. Carrière says he cannot afford to be too selective when hiring. The commander of paramedic training and recruitment, Craig Ruscitti, says that the requirement for bilingualism has been “abandoned” for “quite a while”, despite a real desire to have French speakers in the ranks of the paramedics. emergency services.
It is indeed not for lack of effort to recruit them. Each year, the management of the service, in partnership with Collège Boréal, attempts to encourage vocations among French-speaking secondary school students. The Sudbury establishment is the only one in Northern Ontario where the paramedical care program is given in French; the only other option is La Cité College in Ottawa. A meager offer compared to that of the English-speaking system, which relies on more than ten establishments, including Northern College, in Timmins, to train the next generation.
So, to encourage them to return to their hometown once they finish their studies, the Cochrane District Paramedic Service hires students as technicians every summer, which allows them to gain seniority within the team. They can then do their final year internship there — at the end of which, “if they have done well, it is quite guaranteed that we will hire them,” says Mr. Ruscitti.
Efforts that are coming to fruition
If there is still a shortage of more than ten paramedics, according to Craig Ruscitti, the recruitment strategies seem to be working. For Matthieu Boulanger, who did his entire school career in French, it was simply not possible to study in English. Originally from Timmins, he then went to study in Sudbury, at Collège Boréal, where his mother works. But two years ago he made the choice to return to his hometown.
Attracted by the proximity of his family and a more competitive salary than in Sudbury, he was also reassured by his experience as a technician and his “placement” in his final year. “When I started, I already knew the people, then I knew the building and where all the equipment is placed. It was comfortable,” he emphasizes in an interview with Duty.
His training in French is a real asset for the district, since the 22-year-old can serve as an interpreter for patients. “It’s good that I’m able to talk to everyone.” It’s one of the things I like,” he says, considering himself “one of the only new people who speaks French.”
English-speaking, Amelia Cosco studied at Northern College. She intended to take advantage of her training as a paramedic and then leave “the city with a heart of gold”, but her experience as a technician, the possibility of having her seniority recognized and particularly the welcome from the team convinced her to stay. in Timmins. “I know people in small communities. My grandmother lives in Matheson, and I wouldn’t want her to be left without help because of a shortage of paramedics,” says the woman who will start working at the end of May.
Growing needs
The needs are indeed dire in the district’s smaller towns, such as Cochrane or Smooth Rock Falls. Some only have an ambulance available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Ruscitti said, and operate on-call overnight. Even during the day, the reaction time to answer a call can go from “two minutes” in Timmins to up to “ten minutes,” adds the commander, who would like to guarantee 24-hour service if the availability of personnel allows it. allowed.
If an ambulance is used to rush a patient to the Timmins hospital, it can also happen that “very small communities” are left without service for a “couple of hours.”
In Timmins, the overdose crisis is also giving paramedics a hard time. “There is a big problem with opioids, more in Timmins than in the rest of our district,” laments Mr. Ruscitti, adding that he is looking for manpower to establish awareness programs about opioids. homelessness and addiction issues.
Already thinned by the pandemic and the need for community paramedicine – a program of home visits to avoid calls to 911 and deal with the shortage of nursing homes – the number of paramedics also threatens to shrink even further. coming years due to retirements.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.