Critical shortage of ambulances in Ottawa Tuesday night

CTV News Ottawa has learned there was a critical shortage of ambulances available to respond to emergency calls in the city of Ottawa Tuesday night.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service was at something called "Level Zero" for an undisclosed amount of time, requiring assistance from other jurisdictions.

This came just hours after the city said contingency plans were no longer needed to maintain services following a major COVID-19 outbreak within the paramedic service.

In a statement, the city confirmed the "Level Zero" status and said offload delays in emergency rooms remains a significant challenge.

"Our service is often impacted when paramedics are held in the emergency department for an extended time. Offload delays at hospital emergency rooms remain a significant challenge. This issue continues to affect Council-approved and legislated response times, now and in the future," said Kim Ayotte, the city's manager of emergency and protective services.