Photo: yourparamedics.ca

Paramedics in Penticton are asking for the community’s support in their drive to be declared an essential service.

It’s part of a province-wide push, using legislation that allows a group to force a referendum or legislative action should at least 10 per cent of the electorate sign a petition in each district in the province. The same set of laws enabled the HST referendum.

Paramedics are currently lumped in with a much larger bargaining unit, and face the risk of being forced to strike should general hospital workers decide to do so. They are looking to be treated the same as police and firefighters in collective bargaining, which would prevent strikes and lockouts.

Local petition coordinator Derek Morris says paramedics have no interest in getting involved with labour disputes, and is aiming to secure the required 4,392 signatures for the Penticton district.

He says volunteers are getting organized and will be out in the community in the coming weeks. They will be at Penticton Vees games and SOEC concerts taking signatures, going door-to-door and will eventually set up a booth at Cherry Lane Shopping Centre. The public is being urged to be on the lookout for canvassers, as the petition has to be signed on paper.

Morris is optimistic they will get the signatures they need in Penticton, noting vast spread out districts like the Boundary - Similkameen will be more of a challenge.

Volunteers have until April 10 to collect the required signatures.

More information on the effort can be found here.