As the government starts recruiting full-time paramedics for ambulance service in Dawson City and Watson Lake, the management of the ambulance services through the territory will move from the Department of Health and Social Services to the Department of Community Services.

The government made the announcement late Wednesday afternoon. It noted the move to the protective services branch (in Community Services) is part of its plan to modernize the territory's emergency response system.

The announcement comes about four months after volunteer ambulance attendants in Dawson and Watson Lake walked off the job, citing burn-out and other issues.

The news comes close to two weeks after the government announced an Alberta consultant would be advising the territory on how to best modernize the system.

Yesterday's announcement also states work will continue to come to an agreement with ambulance volunteers before the transfer takes place.

Just how many staff will be hired and how much the transfer will cost are unknown.

'This is not a question of cost,' Premier Dennis Fentie said in an interview this morning, adding it will cost more in the long term not to make the changes.

Fentie said staff and cost figures are part of a process underway along with negotiations with volunteers. In addition to hiring staff in Dawson and Watson Lake, the government said it will also hire staff in other communities where needed.

'This announcement reflects what needs to be done,' Fentie said.

The government, he added, is working to assist volunteers by hiring full-time paramedics to take some of the burden off, and is looking at remuneration along with improving training and equipment.

At least two former volunteers in Watson Lake have been left wondering why they weren't informed of the move.

Stacey Doyle, who's been part of the negotiations with the government, said it was through the media she learned of the change.

'This seems to be a typical government move,' she said.

She and others have been trying to figure out if the government's latest offer to the volunteers is proposed as an interim agreement or more permanent, she added.

While Doyle wouldn't comment on the details of the offer, she said a letter was sent to the government yesterday to get clarity about its intentions, she said.

Meanwhile, Pauline Lund, who previously organized the schedules for the volunteer service, said the government will need at least eight full-time staff for the ambulance service in the town.

She said more volunteers will be lost for good if the dispute continues. Of the eight who were in place prior to the walk-out, she expects only four would return at this point.

Many have realized how much time they were devoting to the ambulance service obligation and don't want to give up that much time now. Others have taken on jobs and can't volunteer the time they once did, she said.

Even if more were recruited, there's a significant amount of training involved before they take on a shift.

'People can't give up 80 hours,' Lund said, pointing out that in Whitehorse, ambulance staff in training are paid for those hours, but in the communities, it's done in their volunteer hours, on weekends.

That means it could take months for new volunteers to be trained.

While Fentie stated the government is working to address the issues raised by volunteers, he also said it will ultimately be up to them to return.

'This is their choice,' he said.

The government has made sure there's been no discontinuance of service in the communities, he added.

Moving the ambulance service under the same umbrella as other emergency response will help harmonize service and take much of the burden off volunteers, Fentie said.

The government will then look into equipment and other matters to help modernize the services, including bringing the 911 emergency number to communities throughout the territory.

Doyle questions the move to Community Services, noting the ambulance is an essential service directly tied into health care.

'It's an everyday service,' she said.

Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said this morning the change in departments speaks to Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers' inability to deal with the issue.

On a number of occasions, he said, ambulance staff have said they would like to actually see a minister ask them what they need. It shifts the problems onto another minister, Mitchell said.

With the change not set to take effect until December, the government said in a statement Wednesday that Health and Social Services officials will finish discussions with volunteers about remuneration before the transfer.

Mitchell also took issue with volunteers not being informed of the decision, while NDP health critic John Edzerza questioned how much consultation has taken place with the Yukon Employees Union (YEU).

'All people are being addressed,' Fentie said when asked about the union.

Edzerza, arguing there's been an issue for five years or longer, also wondered why the announcement was coming before the consultant's work was done on advising the government.

'This is typical of government,' Mitchell said of the move, noting it came just a day before the legislature began its fall sitting this afternoon.

YEU president Laurie Butterworth could not be reached for comment this morning.