Toronto Paramedic Services
Toronto Paramedic Services (TPS) is the City of Toronto’s official emergency medical service. It was established in 1975 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. The service has about 1,400 employees. The Chief is Bikram Chawla and the Medical Director is Dr. Morgan Hillier.
TPS is a statutory emergency medical service funded by the city’s tax base. It operates like other city divisions but runs its own day‑to‑day operations and is subject to provincial laws and licensing. Private companies provide non‑emergency medical transports and event coverage, but only TPS handles emergency medical calls.
Toronto has a long history of ambulance service, dating back to 1883. Over the years it evolved from horse‑drawn vehicles to motorized ambulances, with the two municipal services eventually merging and expanding. In 1975, the Metropolitan Toronto Department of Ambulance Services unified the remaining private and provincial services into one regional system. It was renamed Toronto Emergency Medical Services in 1998 and later, in 2014, rebranded as Toronto Paramedic Services to emphasize the paramedic role.
TPS runs 41 stations and serves about 3.2 million people in the city, rising to around 5 million on most business days. Its emergency communications centre (the Central Ambulance Communications Centre, or CACC) handles 9‑1‑1 calls, dispatching resources using advanced computer systems and satellite location tracking. The service uses a 700 MHz P25 Phase II radio system and provides translation in more than 140 languages through Language Line. TPS is the largest municipal EMS operation in Canada and is the sole provider for emergencies in the city.
The district hubs are located at several stations: District 1 at Wilson Ave (01 Station), District 2 at Lawrence Ave E (20 Station), District 3 at Turnberry Ave (30 Station), District 4 at Kingston Rd (42 Station), District 5/Special Operations at Bathurst St (55 Station), and District 6 at Markham St (34 Station). TPS also maintains a Special Operations Division for unusual or large‑scale events.
Funding comes from a 50/50 split between the municipal government and the provincial government, based on census population. The service uses Language Line for urgent translation and runs an ethnocultural access program to better serve Toronto’s diverse communities. The aging baby‑boom generation is increasing demand for EMS, while many longtime staff are nearing retirement, creating recruitment challenges. TPS is research‑oriented and closely collaborates with the Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine, with projects approved by the University of Toronto Ethics Committee.
Community involvement is strong: paramedics fund a children’s breakfast program, participate in dragon boat races, and volunteers from TPS drive the floats in Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade. Air ambulance services in Toronto are provided by Ornge under government contract.
TPS also operates its own repair facilities at the headquarters, with on‑site maintenance and equipment work for ambulances, radios, and medical electronics.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:47 (CET).