Region approves new paramedic station at former Kinsmen Children’s Centre in Cambridge

An urgently needed paramedic services station is one step closer to coming to Cambridge.

Regional council said “yes” to a plan to repurpose and redevelop the former Kinsmen Children’s Centre in Preston into a $12.6 million paramedic station.

Chief of Paramedic Services John Riches said the portion of the community around the 651 Concession Rd. location deals with long response times, and this station will be a game-changer in the area.

“From an operational perspective, we’re at least two or three years from this project being operational, and we probably needed it two or three years ago,” he said.

The space also had the potential to be used for childcare spaces or affordable housing. Regional staff say those options came with extra challenges including safety for children and affordability concerns. The report from staff explains that with the estimated high costs for construction and operational costs with affordable housing, they did not recommend the site having residential units.

Not all councillors were on board with the decision to move forward solely with a paramedic services station.

At the committee level earlier this month, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic was looking for more information on what affordable housing could look like in the area, information that staff indicated could be brought to council chambers on August 28.

“Quite frankly it almost borders on, and I’ll say it, it almost borders on immoral to build a building like this in 2024, when we know there are housing needs in the community.”

Vrbanovic’s referral on the motion earlier this month, for more information on the affordable housing angle, was defeated.

The proposed paramedics facility would be one storey including a deployment station with crew space, paramedicine offices, vehicle bays, and a training room for up to 45 participants.

The plan was approved at Region of Waterloo Council.