Work begins on new Shuniah EMS station

A new EMS station in Shuniah, just east of Thunder Bay, will help paramedics respond to calls in the municipality with more efficiency.

Work has begun on the station, which is located on Lakeshore Drive. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site on Friday.

"This is going to be a great solution for us because it's going to have quick access and egress for the ambulance to come in and out safely, direct access to the highway," Superior North EMS chief Shane Muir said. "It's a region that's really important strategically, because it services the city of Thunder Bay, all of the Municipality of Shuniah, it's a backup for Armstrong."

"For us, this is a very important base and we're really excited to see it go forward."

Currently, Shuniah paramedics share space with the municipality's volunteer fire department. A Superior North EMS ambulance parks in front of a fire truck in one of the fire department's garages.

The garage doesn't have a living area, so paramedics stay in a trailer located next to the garage when on duty.

"It's essentially a permanent trailer," primary care paramedic Kane Hillman said. "There is a little bit of a laundry facility and small kitchen and things."

The new building will include two garage bays, a kitchen and living quarters.

"It's gonna be a big, fantastic change," Hillman said. "A little bit of space and a little bit more privacy."

Muir said the hope is to have the new station operational by the end of the year.

"Right now we're anticipating over 1,000 calls a year for this area," he said. "And a large portion of that is because not only are they servicing the Municipality of Shuniah and the call volume that's here directly, but they also provide a backup for the City of Thunder Bay."

"So oftentimes we're seeing code black situations where there's no ambulance available as a resource in the city, so Shuniah and Kakabeka are the closest units, and they will be responding to those priority calls."

Shuniah Mayor Wendy Landy said the new station will mean a lot for Shuniah and its residents.

"It's really exciting when you get to see the groundbreaking and the work already started," Landry said. "It just makes it all reality that things are moving forward."