Ambulance service needed in Thedford says Lambton Shores council

Heather Wright/The Independent

Lambton Shores Councillor Glen Ballie says if the Thedford and Grand Bend ambulance stations are merged to a new station near Pinery Park “you might as well make a call to a funeral home.”
That during a discussion recently about Lambton County’s plan to improve ambulance service.

In 2024, the county EMS introduced a master plan to reorganize ambulance service.
Steven Turner, the manager of EMS,said the plan included moving a station from Bright’s Grove to Sarnia where the majority of the calls are. The plan also calls for the Grand Bend station to move to the Pinery Park area and the Thedford Station to close with Forest covering that area.

That, Turner says, would allow the county to set up an ambulance station in Camlachie to cover the growing population along the lakeshore.

The master plan was supposed to come to each municipality for comment, but Lambton Shores CAO Stephan McAuley recently brought it to council attention when people in Thedford got wind of the plan which would end the service.
Jeff Wilcox, the councillor representing Thedford, has been vocal about the proposal.

“Thedford station has 40 per cent of Lambton Shores calls. … there’s actually two ambulance stations in the county that have lower 911 call numbers. That’s in Brigden, and in Watford.

Lambton Shore is also growing at 10 times the rate of the county average,” Wilcox noted. That includes Thedford where two new housing developments have been approved bringing 200 new homes to the area.

And he says removing the EMS station would be a problem for the local retirement home, St. Francis Advocates which has a home in the community for people and for the elderly.

“We have a lady that’s 100 years old living in her own house, cuts her own grass, still drives a car, so ambulances are important to those people.

“I think it’s essential for three ambulance stations to be in Lambton shores, to cover our elderly residents, our residents themselves and our guests that come to the municipality.

Councillors, including Ballie agreed saying traffic on Highway 21, particularly in the summer, can stall. “If you have a heart attack in the Pinery, you might as well make a call to a funeral home at this point, because it’s taking 15 minutes to get from the highway,” Baillie said.

Councillor Dave Marsh said his community of Arkona would also have problems.

“If the ambulance from Forest is gone and somebody in Arkona needs an ambulance, it’s going to be far more than 10 minutes to come from … the Pinery. We need, I believe, the ambulance to stay in the Thedford to provide even service all over the place.”

Residents from Thedford also backed up council’s concerns.

“Widder Court Seniors Residences, the Country Manor, St Francis Advocates Homes, several day care providers that operate their businesses in Thedford and the Bosanquet Central School, which will be here for some years,” all need service said Christine O’Reilly.

“Our ambulance personnel are not expendable and are needed quickly in times of crisis.”

Council is sending a resolution to the county asking for the Thedford service to be maintained. It’s not clear when county council will address the issue.