Grand Manan’s medevac service up in the air with new federal rules on the horizon
The arrival of updated rules for how long a pilot can fly or be on standby is putting the future of a New Brunswick island’s very own medevac service up in the air.
Atlantic Charters, a Grand Manan-based aircraft charter service, currently has an agreement with Ambulance New Brunswick to fly patients off the island for mainland emergency care.
New federal policies will start Monday for small and regional aircraft operators, regulating more rest and less flying time for pilots in a bid to address fatigue.
Discussions have been ongoing between Ambulance New Brunswick and Atlantic Charters to reach a new agreement under the new federal framework.
Neither Ambulance New Brunswick nor Atlantic Charters would provide any further comment on Monday, except to say there was nothing new to share.
If there is no agreement, air ambulance service to Grand Manan will be provided by Ambulance New Brunswick’s air medevac.
“I think there’s a lot of concern and a lot of worry about what that’s going to mean,” said Grand Manan Mayor Bonnie Morse, in an interview Monday. “We’ve seen that happen in the past. And there’s always a difference between having someone based here on the island and having another plane trying to come in and land. Because there is a time lag there.”
The Horizon Health Network says any patient who arrives at the Grand Manan Hospital requiring complex, specialized, or critical care is taken by ground or air ambulance to the Saint John Regional Hospital.
Morse said there’s already procedures in place to transport people off the island as soon as possible if they require urgent medical care.
“Right now, there is protocol where if you’re having a stroke you actually bypass the local hospital and are moved directly to Saint John,” said Morse.
“We need to make sure we have that same level of access to medical care.”
First announced in 2018, the federal regulations to address pilot fatigue came into effect for larger air carriers in 2020.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.