Nova Scotia's new emergency helicopters could by flying by the end of this month.        

It’s been nearly a year since the contract for the new choppers was announced. Just over six weeks ago, the government scheduled and abruptly cancelled an event welcoming the aircraft.   But provincial officials expect to see the choppers in the air soon.

EHS director Larry Crewson says they’re waiting for final certification from Transport Canada, which should happen by the end of December.

“We are so ready and so excited to put this aircraft into service, and the day that we receive that paperwork from Transport Canada is the day that it will happen,” says Crewson.

Critically injured patients bound for Halifax hospitals are still being flown to Point Pleasant Park instead of hospital rooftops. Government officials say the reason is bureaucracy.

Final certification will mean that two new helicopters can take over for the current 37-year-old chopper, which is not certified to land on rooftop helipads at the QEII and IWK.

The province announced a contract for two new choppers last January. It seemed like things were ready to go in late October, with an event planned to welcome the aircraft on the Oct. 26. But hours before the launch, it was cancelled. Government says that's because Health Minister Randy Delorey couldn't be there.

Documents obtained through freedom of information show internal turmoil as officials decided to pull the plug.

Time-stamped at 5:13 p.m. on Oct. 25, an email sent by a communications rep in the department of health says, "The minister and the premier's office have asked us to postpone the event until we are certain of an in-service date."

In another email chain from that evening, Larry Crewson writes, ‘The hangar is prepped and catering committed many people flown in. Lots of money, time and effort spent on this."

PC health critic Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin says it's another example of poor communication by the Department of Health. But more importantly, the delay could be putting people at risk.

“I would call upon the minister of health to get his house in order,” Smith-McCrossin says. “Some say it's a 15-minute delay, some say it's 25 minutes. But we all know, every minute counts when someone isn't breathing, when their heart is stopped.”

It's still not clear what why Transport Canada hasn't given the greenlight to these aircraft. CTV News reached out to them, but there was no response by news time.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie.