Health Minister Sylvia Jones was at Greater Sudbury Airport on Nov. 7 to announce Ontario is spending $108 million to expand Ornge Air Ambulance presence in Northeastern Ontario.
“Our government recognizes the important role Ornge plays in providing patients with timely access to care, no matter where they live in Ontario,” Health Minister and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones said in a news release. “Investing in new, state-of-the-art planes is another way we are making it faster for Ontarians in rural and remote communities to connect to the care they need, when they need it, for years to come.
The new 12-plan fleet will be ready in 2026. Once that happens, Ornge will add two, fully staffed, 24/7 air ambulance crews to further connect people in the Northeast in need of rapid emergency care. As for the expansion at Greater Sudbury Airport, Ontario is providing $10 million to Ornge to move from their existing Sudbury base to a larger hangar in the city that can house both their helicopter and expanded fixed-wing services in one base. "As Chief of Paramedic Services here in Greater Sudbury, I’m pleased to see the province supporting the expansion of Ornge’s fixed wing fleet,” said Greater Sudbury Fire and Paramedic Services Chief Joseph Nicholls.