Ontario Connecting Northern and Rural Communities to Critical Care

Press Release

December 17, 2024

SIMCOE COUNTY— The Ontario government is investing $93 million to expand Ornge Air Ambulance’s fleet by adding two larger, high speed fixed wing aircraft, constructing a new hangar in Simcoe County, and improving pre-hospital care. This investment will ensure Ornge Air Ambulance service can better connect people in northern and rural communities to the care they need when they need it.

“Our government recognizes the critical role Ornge plays in providing patients with timely access to critical care services, no matter where they live in Ontario,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through another record investment in Ornge, our government is continuing to make it faster for Ontarians to connect to the care they need, when they need it, for years to come.”

The two new, high speed, Special Mission Aircraft can travel longer distances without the need to refuel, enabling Ornge to complete four long-distance transports per day, double the amount completed by Ornge’s smaller planes. These aircraft are also able to transport patients with specialized care needs such as neonatal, paediatric, and bariatric patients.

The new aircraft will be housed in a newly constructed hangar at the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport in Simcoe County. This new hangar will help better coordinate emergency care to ensure Ontarians receive the high-quality care they deserve across the province.

“The addition of a Special Mission Aircraft to our fleet will significantly enhance Ornge’s ability to respond to various emergency situations and stakeholder needs in Ontario,” said Dr. Homer Tien, President and CEO of Ornge. “This larger, faster aircraft will be versatile to support ultra-long distance transport of critically ill/injured patients and multi-patient, cargo and passenger configurations to best serve the mission at hand, anywhere in Ontario. This is another resource for Ornge to help us deliver on our mandate of improving health equity.”

These new aircraft and hangar are in addition to the $118 million investment announced in 2023 to expand Ornge’s fixed wing fleet to 12 aircraft, including the replacement of the existing eight fixed wing fleet, and purchase of a larger hangar in Sudbury to house the new aircraft.

In addition to expanding Ornge’s fleet of aircraft, as part of this investment, Ontario is providing Ornge with a further $25 million to hire more frontline staff to improve pre-hospital care and better serve Indigenous communities. This includes:

Hiring 102 additional frontline staff by 2029, including paramedics, pilots, and aviation mechanics to ensure aircraft are available whenever a call comes
Expanding Ornge’s dedicated mental health patient transport team to reduce the response time for patients in need of emergency mental health care. This team provides specialized mental health care for patients during transport and in the first year of implementation, provided in-flight mental health care to 741 patients
Enhancing the Emergency First Response Teams Program for First Nation communities by adding stretcher transport vehicles, specialized first aid training for community volunteers and additional supplies to ensure the delivery of comprehensive, culturally appropriate care

Through Your Health: A Plan For Connected and Convenient Care, Ontario is building a health care system that delivers the right care in the right place. Expanding Ornge’s fleet will ensure more accessible transport of patients across the province and provide patients with increased access to emergency care, where and when they need it.

Quick Facts

Ornge is Ontario’s provincial air ambulance and critical care land ambulance (CCLA) service provider and provides a range of air paramedical services including moving patients between health care facilities, responding to emergency on-scene incidents, and supporting health care in northern and rural communities.
Ornge plays a key role in access to care for the province’s northern and rural communities with approximately 98 per cent of Ornge’s fixed-wing patient transports originating in northern Ontario.
Ornge conducts approximately 22,000 air ambulance and critical care land ambulance patient transports per year, from nine air bases and six land bases across the province.
Ornge’s fleet currently consists of 12 helicopters and eight fixed wing planes, with planes being used for long-distance transports and helicopters for shorter distances and emergency on-scene response.
The Ornge Air Ambulance fleet will expand to 14 fixed wing aircraft by 2030.
To help increase the number of paramedics in the province, the newly expanded Ontario Learn and Stay Grant will provide students studying in the first year of a paramedic program in 2023-2024 at select postsecondary institutions with funding for free tuition, books, compulsory fees and other direct educational costs. After graduating, students will be required to work in the same region they studied in, for a minimum of six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.
The Ontario government is helping more students who want to become a paramedic in Ontario by adding more than 300 student spaces in paramedic programs at provincial colleges across Ontario this year.
Through the Recognition of International Paramedic Education (RIPE) initiative, a streamlined equivalency process for skilled, foreign-trained paramedics, Ornge has been able to bring Critical Care Paramedics to the frontline faster. 23 paramedics have been successfully recruited from this program, with 13 already working at Ornge.
Investments in Ornge’s dedicated mental health patient transport team contribute to health improvements in northern Ontario and is responsive to recommendations from the Moses Beaver inquest.

Quotes

“Our investment in Ornge’s expanded fleet and additional frontline staff is a major step in improving access to emergency care in northern remote First Nations communities. With approximately 98 per cent of Ornge’s fixed-wing patient transports originating in the North, these all-new Special Mission Aircraft will ensure faster, more reliable transport for critically ill patients in every corner of Ontario. Our government will continue to work with First Nations partners, ensuring they have the resources needed to respond to realities on the ground in their communities.”

– Greg Rickford
Minister of Northern Development, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation

“This investment ensures that Ontarians will have access to the life saving care they need, no matter where they live. I am grateful that Ornge has chosen to partner with the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, and to help expand these services in our rural and northern communities.”
– Doug Downey
MPP, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte

“We are very pleased that Ornge has elected to continue the excellent long-term partnership with Pilatus in this upgrade to their fleet. We take great pride in being able to support the health care system of Ontario’s citizens.”

– Thomas Bosshard
President and CEO, Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd.

“Our vision to advance Lake Simcoe Regional Airport as one of our region’s economic engines and enhance aviation services for businesses and residents that benefit our entire region is taking flight. We extend our gratitude to the Ontario government for investing in this new facility and we eagerly anticipate welcoming our new partners at Ornge, who will utilize the airport to help impact and save more lives.”

– Basil Clarke
Simcoe County Warden

Additional Resources

Ontario Connecting Northern and Rural Communities to Critical Care

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