Ontario invests $108M to purchase 4 planes for Ornge Air Ambulance | CBC News

The province is investing $108 million to purchase four planes for Ornge Air Ambulance to expand its fleet and serve rural communities in northern Ontario.

“With this investment, Ornge will also be able to add two fully staffed 24/7 air ambulance crews to support this expansion that will improve access to the care Ontarians need when they need it,” Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said at a press conference in Sudbury.

“We’ve recognized the important role Ornge plays in providing patients with timely access to care, and today’s announcement will ensure better connected care for the region now and into the future.”

The province has purchased eight planes for Ornge since December 2022, and plans to expand the fleet to 12 aircraft by 2026.

In addition to the new planes, Jones also announced a $10-million investment to build a larger hangar in Sudbury to house Ornge helicopters and its fleet of planes.

‘Needed for a long time’

“This is something that has been needed for a long time,” said Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas, the NDP’s health critic.

“We have been depending on independent aircraft owners to supplement Ornge. It did not always work out.”

Gélinas said Ornge helps provide equitable access to health care for rural Ontarians who don’t have easy access to larger hospitals.

“If you look next door to Quebec, they have hospitals in pretty much every small community. Ontario does not do this,” she said.

“We have many, many small communities who do not have hospital services, who rely on emergency transportation for people to go to bigger community hospitals.”