Lanark Transportation is currently in the planning phase with Lanark County Paramedic Service to enter into a win-win partnership, where Lanark Transportation would take on local low-risk patient transfers. This one-year pilot project would free up paramedics and ambulance resources, allowing paramedics to focus on higher-risk patients. This means improved urgent care access for all residents in Lanark County.
The benefits don’t stop there. In 2025, 36% of all ambulance calls in the county were for patient transfers, of which 58% were low-risk. Every call costs the paramedic service over $1,000. In this new initiative, Lanark Transportation will instead take on low-risk transfers for an estimated cost of $300 a day. This daily cost is expected to be 50% subsidised by the Province of Ontario.
Better access and lower costs—all made possible thanks to multi-governmental collaboration, dedicated drivers, and a non-profit spirit that strives to serve the community with care and compassion.
Take a look at local news coverage of the planned partnership:
- How Lanark County is tackling ambulance wait times: A look at the new patient transfer pilot – the Smiths Falls Record News
- Lanark County to steer away from low-risk ambulance transports with pilot project – Lanark Leeds Today
- Pilot project is approved to reduce non-emergency paramedic transfers – Perth Journal
Lanark County staff report: