Air ambulances in Canada

BCEHS critical care team on the helicopter pad on the top of Vancouver General Hospital following the offloading of a patient.

Air ambulance or medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) services in Canada are typically operated by third parties including non-governmental organizations and private contractors working on behalf of a provincial health authority, with a mix of fixed wing and rotary wing (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service or HEMS) fleets in use. They play a major role in Canadian healthcare given the massive geographic barriers to access. The two largest providers are Ornge Air Ambulance in Ontario, which operates twelve bases across the province, and STARS Air Ambulance, which operates six bases across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

List of air ambulances in Canada by province

Alberta

• Advanced Paramedic (APL) ^[1]
• Alberta Health Services (Emergency Medical Services) ^[2]
• Alberta Central Air Ambulance ^[3]
• CanWest Air ^[4]
• HALO Air Ambulance ^[5]
• HERO YMM ^[6]
• Lifesupport ^[7]
• Northern Air Charter ^[8]
• Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) ^[9]
• Sunwest Aeromedical ^[10]

British Columbia

• British Columbia Ambulance Service (Air ambulance program) ^[11]
• Helijet- operated for British Columbia Ambulance Service ^[12]
• Life Flight International - headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia and proving services worldwide ^[13]
• Lifesupport ^[7]
• Northern Thunderbird Air ^[14]
• Regent Air - B.C. based air ambulance company offering services throughout North America ^[15]
• Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) ^[9] - eastern BC only
• Summit Helicopters - operated in partnership with British Columbia Ambulance Service to service the interior of British Columbia ^[16]
• Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society (TEAAM) ^[17]

Manitoba

• Aeromed (Perimeter Aviation) ^[18]
• Custom Helicopters ^[19]
• Keewatin Air (Kivalliq Air / Nunavut Lifeline) ^[20]
• Missinippi Airways (Missinippi Air-Care) ^[21]
• Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) ^[9]
• SkyCare ^[22]
• SkyNorth Air ^[23]
• Vanguard Air Care - a division of Fast Air ^[24]

New Brunswick

• Ambulance New Brunswick ^[25]

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Cougar Helicopters ^[26]
• EVAS Air ^[27]
• PAL Aerospace ^[28]

Northwest Territories

• Aklak Air ^[29]
• Advanced Medical Solutions - Medic North in partnership with Air Tindi ^[30]

Nova Scotia

• LifeFlight - aircraft operated by Canadian Helicopters and PAL Aerospace ^[31]

Nunavut

• Keewatin Air (Kivalliq Air / Nunavut Lifeline) ^[20]
• Summit Air Kivalliq ^[32]

Ontario

• Angels of Flight Canada ^[33]
• Helicopter Transport Services ^[34]
• International Assistance Group ^[35]
  • Fox Flight Air Ambulance ^[36]
  • Jet Companion Canada ^[37]
• Latitude Air Ambulance ^[38]
• Lifesupport ^[7]
• Ornge ^[39]
  • SkyCare ^[22]
• Thunder Airlines ^[40]
• Voyageur Airways ^[41]

Prince Edward Island

• LifeFlight ^{[31] [42]}
• Trinity Air Ambulance - headquarters in Florida, United States, operates throuout Canada ^[43]

Quebec

• Air Creebec ^[44]
• Air Inuit ^[45]
• Airmedic ^[46]
• Helico Secours coopérative de solidarité ^[47]
• Lifesupport ^[7]
• Propair ^[48]

Saskatchewan

• Rise Air ^[49]
• Saskatchewan Air Ambulance ^[50]
• Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) ^[9]

Yukon

• Alkan Air ^[51]

References

1. "Advanced Paramedic LTD. (APL)". Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
2. "Alberta Health Services (AHS EMS)". Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
3. "Alberta Central Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 6 March 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
4. "CanWest Air: Medevac Specialists". Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
5. "HALO Air Ambulance". www.haloairambulance.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
6. "Local Hero Foundation - Fort McMurray Emergency Helicopter Medevac". Local HERO Foundation. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
7. "Lifesupport". Archived from the original on 25 February 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
8. "Northern Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
9. "STARS". Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
10. "Sunwest Aeromedical". Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
11. "Air Ambulance Service" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
12. "Air Medical Transport". Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
13. "Life Flight International". Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
14. "MEDEVAC". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
15. "Regent Air". Archived from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
16. "Summit Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
17. "Team Aeromedical". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
18. "Services". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
19. "Custom Helicopters". Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
20. "Nunavut Lifeline". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
21. "Missinippi Airways/Missinippi Air-Care". Archived from the original on 2 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
22. "SkyCare". Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
23. "SkyNorth Air". Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
24. "Vanguard Air Care". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
25. "What We Do - Services". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
26. "Our Services". Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
27. "EVAS Air". Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
28. "PAL Aerospace Air Ambulance Solutions". Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
29. "Medevac Flights". Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
30. "Air Ambulance Services in the NWT". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
31. "About Us". Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
32. "Summit Air Kivalliq". Archived from the original on 10 February 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
33. "Angels of Flight". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
34. "Air Ambulance (E.M.S.)". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
35. "Our Network". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
36. "Fox Flight Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
37. "Medical Escorts on Commercial Flights". Archived from the original on 30 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
38. "Latitude Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
39. "Ornge". Archived from the original on 15 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
40. "Medevac Flights". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
41. "Aeromedical". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
42. "Ambulance Services". 12 June 2017. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
43. "Trinity Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
44. "Air Creebec". Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
45. "Emergency Transportation". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
46. "Airmedic" (in French). Archived from the original on 11 March 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
47. "Helico Secours coopérative de solidarité" (in French). Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
48. "Aeromedical Evacuation". Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
49. "Charters". Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
50. "Saskatchewan Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
51. "Air Ambulance". Archived from the original on 18 January 2025.