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Urgences-santé: its territory, its role, its careers

Urgences-santé is the public body that employs the paramedics of Montreal and Laval. Its Act, its 2024-2025 figures, its jobs and its posted salaries.

October 10, 2026 · Lire en français

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Urgences-santé (the ambulance service for Montreal and Laval) employs the paramedics, or primary care paramedics, of these two regions and offers careers to many of them. It is a public body, and the only ambulance service in Montreal and Laval. Here is what the law gives it, what its annual report counts, and the jobs it posts. This text applies to women and men alike.

A body maintained by law

Section 87 of the Act respecting pre-hospital emergency services (chapter S-6.2), up to date as of August 12, 2026, maintains the Corporation d'urgences-santé de la région de Montréal Métropolitain under the name Urgences-santé. It operates for the Montreal and Laval health regions. Its head office is in the territory of the City of Montreal, under section 88. Its 2024-2025 annual management report dates its creation to 1989.

The same report describes the territory: 744 km², a population of 2.5 million people on the islands of Montreal and Laval, 23 emergency rooms grouped in 10 institutions. Resources are spread across 3 operational centres and a headquarters, where the health communication centre is located.

Its functions

Section 90 of the Act tasks Urgences-santé, under the responsibility of Santé Québec, with planning, organizing and coordinating pre-hospital emergency services in Montreal and Laval. There it carries out:

the functions of a health communication centre, the one that receives medical calls transferred by 911 and dispatches ambulances
the functions of an ambulance service
the setting up of a first responder service

The second paragraph of section 90 also allows it to act as an expert advisor in organization, management or training, after an agreement with Santé Québec. Its training centre serves the workers of the pre-hospital chain in Montreal and Laval, according to its website. Our article on the emergency medical dispatcher describes the work of the call centre.

Its governance

Section 91 entrusts the administration of Urgences-santé to a board of 12 members appointed by the government. It includes the president and chief executive officer, an employee of Urgences-santé, a physician in charge of an emergency room and a person who used its services in the previous 48 months.

Santé Québec approves its five-year service organization plan and sets the quality standards it must meet, under section 90.1. The fiscal year ends on March 31 (section 101). The financial statements and the annual management report are submitted to Santé Québec no later than June 30 (section 103). The Minister of Health and Social Services is the minister responsible for Urgences-santé for the purposes of the Financial Administration Act, under section 103.1.

This text summarizes the law and official documents. It is not legal or union advice.

Its official figures

2024-2025 annual management report	Number
Calls received at the health communication centre	337,318, or 924 per day on average
Calls handled by paramedics	284,346, or 779 per day on average
Transports to a network institution	207,024, or 567 per day on average
Paramedics as of March 31, 2025	1,026
Emergency medical dispatchers as of March 31, 2025	121
Total workforce as of March 31, 2025	1,666

Source: Urgences-santé, Rapport annuel de gestion 2024-2025, operational data and workforce breakdown by sector of activity. The workforce counts regular and casual positions, excluding students and interns.

The report adds that Urgences-santé staff respond to 36% of requests for ambulance services in Quebec, and that 103 new paramedics were hired in 2024-2025. It does not give the number of ambulances.

Its jobs and their posted wages

The Careers section of the Urgences-santé website presents seven job families: paramedics, emergency call centre, ambulance maintenance and logistics, professionals and managers, information technology, nurses, internships.

For paramedics, Urgences-santé posts an hourly wage of $26.34 to $39.40 as of April 1, 2023. It requires registration in the national workforce registry, an AEC (attestation of college studies) in ambulance techniques or a DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, and a Class 4A driver's licence. Our article on paramedic salary compares this rate with other official sources.

For emergency medical dispatchers, it posts $23.37 to $28.74 an hour depending on recognized experience in an emergency call centre. The page does not date this rate. It requires a high school diploma, one year of relevant experience and fluency in French and English. The training lasts 75 days.

All applications go through the site's Tous les emplois disponibles portal.

A bill or a complaint

The bill for a transport is paid to the Urgences-santé accounts receivable department, at 6700 Jarry Street East, in Montreal. The site gives 514 723-5600, extension 5666. Payment can be made online, by cheque, in person or at a financial institution. Our article on the price of an ambulance transport explains the rate.

A complaint goes to the Urgences-santé office of the service quality and complaints commissioner, through the site's form, by mail at the same address or at 514 723-5600, extension 5606. The legal processing time is 45 days, according to the site. For a transport outside Montreal and Laval, the site refers to the CISSS or CIUSSS of the region.

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Frequently asked questions

What is an urgence santé?

Urgences-santé is the name of a public body, not a type of emergency. The law gives it the ambulance service, the health communication centre and the organization of first responders in Montreal and Laval. In an emergency, dial 911.

Who should you call for a health problem?

Québec.ca says to dial 911 or go to the emergency room for a serious problem or urgent need. For a non-urgent health problem, 811, option 1, reaches an Info-Santé nurse. This service is free and confidential.

Is 811 available 24 hours?

Yes. Québec.ca writes that the Info-Santé 811 service is offered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The page was updated on December 7, 2022.

What is the average salary at Urgences-santé in Quebec?

No official source publishes an average salary for Urgences-santé. The organization posts ranges: $26.34 to $39.40 an hour for a paramedic as of April 1, 2023, and $23.37 to $28.74 an hour for an emergency medical dispatcher, undated. Our article on paramedic salary sets these rates beside the other official sources.

Who can take an ambulance for free?

Québec.ca, in its page updated on August 20, 2024, lists exceptions where another payer covers the bill: road accident (SAAQ), workplace accident (employer), transfer between two network institutions, last-resort assistance and, under conditions, age 65 or older. Outside these cases, the person transported pays $125 plus $1.75 per kilometre. Our article on the price of an ambulance transport details each condition.

Is the ambulance covered by the RAMQ?

No. The Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (Quebec's health insurance board) says so in its FAQ: "We do not cover the cost of ambulance transport." The bill for a transport in Montreal or Laval therefore comes from Urgences-santé, not from the RAMQ.