Health minister Gaetan Barrette has announced a $28 million investment to purchase an additional 22 new ambulances for the province — including 10 of them in the Montreal area.
The minister made the announcement on Wednesday morning — a week after telling reporters that ambulance service in the province was "adequate."
Ambulance workers' unions and the public have long complained about a shortage of ambulances, claiming it was having an adverse effect on response times.
"When year-over-year, we determined that there is a trend, a trend confirming there is an added volume of services to be provided, then we increase the number of vehicles on the roads," the minister said.
Aside from the 10 new ambulances coming for Montreal and Laval, four of the new ambulances will go to Quebec City.