The Provincial government has touted its $64 million in additional funding for EMS.

However an advocate for improving the service, Don Sharpe says you can't buy and staff ambulances overnight.

He says while the money will definitely help there are things that could be done that would mean a quicker change.

"We've got to stop holding paramedics hostage in the hospital hallways, that has to end, the time for that is done, we've been doing it for 15 years and all we've been doing is band-aiding the hospital and that has to end, those paramedics belong in the community," Sharpe says.

He says from the FOIP information they're received, one of the Okotoks ambulances is shut down for at least one day every week, meaning 52 times a year for a 12-hour shift there is no ambulance available in Okotoks.

"So now they're talking about putting more staff to work, or putting another 12-hour transfer car on, where are they going to get the resources for that? They can say they're going to do it but is it actually going to materialize?"

He says private inter-facility transfers for patients going for things like tests also have to increase if the Province truly wants to lessen the load paramedics are working under now.

"There's just not enough resources right now so we have to do, really and all hands on deck , they have to look at moving some of these, especially these non-emergency transfers, these are people that need to go for tests and treatment, companies like Aaron Paramedical are moving some of these patients now but again, they  need to use more of them," Sharpe explains.

He has a great deal of faith in RJ Sigurdson, a co-chair of the committee looking into EMS problems and solutions, but says Sigurdon's up against an entrenched system in AHS.