In a transition that began with provincial downloading in the year 2000, Dufferin County has purchased the last remaining hospital-owned ambulance station in the county – at Shelburne – for a price of about $75,000.

But the only change is in the ownership, and the building will continue as the ambulance station at the same location.

There might be some confusion about how and why the change of ownership appeared prudent to both the county council and the Headwaters Health Care Centre.

Prior to the year 2000, the ambulance service was funded by the province, and managed by the two county hospitals, which owned or otherwise controlled all equipment, vehicles and buildings.

The Orangeville station was on McCarthy Street adjacent to the then- Dufferin Area Hospital, and the ambulance and heliport in Shelburne until 1994 was by the then- Shelburne District Hospital.

With downloading, the province dictated upper tier governments should provide the vehicles, among other things, for the ambulance service. This resulted in what has been described as “a partnership” between Dufferin and Headwaters, with the county generally owning the service while the hospital holds the licence and employs the paramedics under contract with the county.

With the amalgamation of the Dufferin Area and Shelburne District hospitals to form the originally named Dufferin Caledon Health Care Corp. in 1992 came the closing of Shelburne’s emergency department and a decline in use of the heliport.

Then, in 1993-94, Headwaters built the Shelburne ambulance station. The heliport service remained at a location near the town’s sewage plant.

In Orangeville, the McCarthy Street station remained in use and was rented by Headwaters from the Lord Dufferin Centre until the Blind Line station was built in 2003 by Dufferin. The Blind Line station was the first to be owned by the county. The Grand Valley station followed a few years later, after the ambulance service there had spent several years housed in the fire hall. This had left the Shelburne station alone as a hospital-owned building.

Tom Reid, the manager of Dufferin Ambulance Service, describes the ownership transition as “a good thing.”

He said it means now that the county is providing the ambulances, the buildings and the IT services, while the hospital provides “all the clinical side.”

As well, he said, the Shelburne facility is now 16 years old and in requirement of some maintenance, such as roof repairs, and this can be more easily managed under county ownership.