Providing a VOICE for Alberta Paramedics
What is The Alberta Paramedic Association and what do we do?
To put it plainly; We are a Professional Association.
What is a Professional Association? Let us explain the differences.
A Professional Association is defined as a self governing profession that encompasses regulation, labor and association.
Though in other jurisdictions an association may act as a regulator or a bargaining agent;
A standalone professional association does neither. That’s Us!
So instead, our Paramedic Association represents knowledge, skills, health and wellness.
To be a balanced self governing profession; the Alberta Paramedic Association deems it necessary, for each of the following components to be independent of each other;
Regulation
Is the organization whose role is to serve the public interest. Within Alberta this is the Alberta College of Paramedics.
Labour
Is the organization(s) that function to represent the operations of the profession. In Alberta this is a combination of the unions, public and private employers.
Association
Is the organization that serves the interest of the practitioner within their professional practice. In Alberta that is the Alberta Paramedic Association.
In Alberta, Paramedics have been given an opportunity to establish a well balanced, organized profession consisting of all three components that make up a self governing body. Through the independent components we will have a regulator for public interest, a combination of employers and unions to advance operations and an Association that will enhance our knowledge, skills and our health and wellness.
President of the Association
The President oversees the organization, its representatives and the Association’s objectives on behalf of all it’s members. This position supports various areas including but not limited to: Association representation in government, stakeholders, research organizations and continuing education.
Len Stelmaschuk
President
Len has been a Paramedic for over 35 years in both ground and air ambulance delivery. His career has included opportunities within EMS operations, instructor of paramedic programs and legislative licensure and enforcement.
Len has worked as a Director within the Government of Alberta within Emergency Health Services, an Investigator for continuing care facilities/service delivery, Infection Prevention Control (IPC) medical device reprocessing, and Protection for Persons in Care.
He also has regulatory college experience under the umbrella of administrative law as a Complaints Director with the colleges of Paramedics, Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and Acupuncturists. He holds a National registration in Investigation, Certification in IPC, and holds a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University. He is also a recipient of the EMS Exemplary Services Medal. Len continues to work as a casual ACP with Beaver EMS.
On a personal level, Len lives near Camrose Alberta and is married with two children (all grown up now) and has two grandchildren. He’s been a soccer coach, youth group leader, plays guitar (a little) and enjoys snowmobiling and playing with older vehicles…Focus on Fords. Len is honored to be a leader within the Alberta Paramedic Association and dedicate his time in assisting paramedics across the province.
Vice-President
The vice president plans, develops and enforces policies and objectives for the organization to ensure it maintains its values and meets established goals.
Jason Spears
Vice-President
Jason has been in EMS for over 20 years in frontline ground response, industrial and instructional for all levels of EMS and leadership roles. He is currently working as an ACP on a frontline unit based in Cold Lake.
Along side of EMS, Jason has been a firefighter and officer for 30 years. Over the years Jason has taken on many roles with experience in municipal, rural, wildfire and industrial environments. Jason is currently a Captain with Cold Lake Fire-Rescue and training officer for his station.
Outside of emergency services, Jason is a proud father and grandfather. He also shares his career along side of his partner Sarah who is also an ACP. Jason is co-owner of a pyrotechnics/fireworks display company and an artist in many mediums.
Jason’s goal with the Association is to help invoke change to our profession and give those that feel they don’t have a voice a platform to know that they matter.
Treasurer
The Treasurer oversees all financial transactions and fundraising efforts going in or out of an organizing committee. Their primary duties include budget planning, financial reporting, record-keeping, and managing incoming and outgoing funds.
Bill Carstairs
Treasurer
Bill Carstairs has been in the accounting and finance field for over 20 years. Bill has been working in the real estate, property management and development industries since 1986 and owns a real estate and property management firm. He worked with the College of Paramedics from 2014 to 2018. His role with the College was the Director of Finance and/or Chief Financial Officer. It was during this period that he got to know the Directors for the Alberta Paramedic Association and many paramedics working in the industry. Bill has extensive non-profit and charitable reporting experience, including being the Vice President of Finance for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Prairies Division, between 2010 and 2014. The non-profit and charitable industries are highly competitive and regulated. The trends toward social entrepreneurial behavior and self-driven financial well-being by charities and NPOs is reflected in financial and governance training within the industry itself. Bill has focused much of his financial and governance training on non-profit specific educational opportunities. This background and experience will assist the organization as it grows and changes in the future. Although the Association is relatively young, the regulatory and reporting obligations are still substantial and financial practices are needed, that meet or exceed industry standards. These procedures will need to be modified again as the Association seeks to acquire charitable status with the Help Fund.
Board Secretary
The Board Secretary is responsible for the proper management and utilization of important records such as meeting minutes and the organization’s by-laws.
Justin Stapley
Board Secretary
Justin is a Primary Care Paramedic from Edmonton Alberta. Justin has been involved in healthcare since 2011 where he began as a therapist assistant in the Occupational & Physiotherapy departments in Leduc Community hospital and Camrose St. Mary’s Hospital. It was the drive of helping others that motivated
Justin to pursue his career in pre-hospital care, enrolling in Emergency Services Academy for both his EMR and EMT-A programs.
Justin’s Paramedic experience includes multiple rural communities in Northern Zones and Central Zones of Alberta. His time on Ground Ambulance services has allowed him to shape his skills under multiple mentors that he credits to this day for helping him excel in patient care and education initiatives. These included Peer Educator in Central Zone AHS EMS and Employee Management Action Committee with HSAA.
Additionally, Justin started taking Instructor Certification courses in ITLS-Basic Provider, Red Cross Professional Responder Educator, Heart & Stroke BLS Instructor, FIT Testing, Audiology Technician, Spirometry Technician training and Drug & Alcohol specimen collection.
Like most paramedics, the pandemic created lateral career opportunities to pursue. This including COVID testing at the Edmonton SIAC/CIAC centres, being part of the Over-dose response team at Tipinawaw, the Temporary Shelter Edmonton Convention Centre, during the Pandemic, and eventual working as part of a Recovery Coach team at the George Spady Medical Detox Unit and their Supervised Consumption Site in inner city Edmonton area.
The most recent addition to Justin’s portfolio is volunteering with the Canadian Council of First Aid Educators for the Canadian Red Cross as one of their Professional Responder programs advisors.
During all this time, Justin has been a supporting member of the Association since 2016, creating some of the very first in-person Alberta Paramedic Association workshops in Edmonton & Calgary, as well as assisting in creating virtual workshops with some of the most amazing professionals to promote education, their research, and share their knowledge in our Paramedic Communities.
Justin hopes to re-focus education initiatives and explore new & existing partnerships to expand mental health programs that would be catered to the Paramedic profession.
Registrar
The Registrar is responsible for keeping the register and roster of the Association.
Roger Tewson
Registrar
Roger began his career with a small-town volunteer EMS service in 1990, in Magrath Alberta, and became aware that he really enjoyed the work.
Roger completed his advanced care paramedic training at Ricks College in Idaho as an NREMTP and then completed his Alberta ACP schooling at Augustana University College in 2003.
He has worked in rural and remote communities as well as large US metropolitan centers and received his Alberta Long Service Award in 2011, and his EMS Exemplary Service Award in 2017. Roger spent nearly 7 years on the College of Paramedics council serving one year as vice president. He also served four years on the Association board, one year as president and he is a founding member of the Association.
Roger currently works in the Central Zone in Linden and he is a peer trainer and educator with Portage College and AHS EMS. Rogers is currently working on his bachelor’s degree in emergency services management and is building a mentor project that he hopes will help change the way we treat our new paramedics in EMS.
Roger looks forward to working with this new board and hope we can accomplish the goals we need to be an example for other associations across Canada.
Secretary of Knowledge
Carl Damour
Secretary of Knowledge
As a long-standing member of the profession, Carl recognizes the privilege and responsibility that comes with serving as a member of the Association’s Board. Carl also recognizes that if you are reading this, you are also an active member of the profession and for this he wishes to personally thank you for your dedication.
Carl has over three decades of varied Paramedicine experience across ground, fixed and rotary-wing, industrial, educational, regulatory, and managerial sectors. He has worked as a front-line ACP, in Ontario and Alberta and is also registered in New Brunswick. Today, Carl work clinically as an ACP and volunteer firefighter, in Alberta, while also managing a management consulting business. Throughout his career, he has had the fortunate privilege of working with many reputable organizations including the Canadian Medical Association, the Health Standards Organization/ Accreditation Canada, the Paramedic Association of Canada, the Alberta College of Paramedic, the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick
and many others.
Carl is proactive, strategic and operational business minded paramedic professional with many valuable transferable skills. He has managed multi-million-dollar budgets and has a great grasp of fiduciary and fiscal responsibilities. Carl is an integrity-driven leader and is regarded as a trusted advisor and go-to person. He understands the need to develop, and more importantly execute impactful strategies that promote efficiency, growth, improvement, and achievement.
Carl believes this position to be an honor to serve and represent members as part of the Association’s Board.