Nova Scotia Health Minister Leo Glavine says he wants a full review of the province’s air ambulance service and he isn’t ruling out a change in providers.

“Maybe at the end of the day we will have a different provider,” Glavine said last week. “I know there are companies that are interested in this service and we certainly believe in a competitive process to look at the future, look at what other provinces or states are doing.”

Since 1996, the EHS LifeFlight service has been contracted to Canadian Helicopters Ltd. In late March, Canadian Helicopters informed the Department of Health that a change in Transport Canada regulations meant the 36-year-old LifeFlight chopper could no longer land at two helipads in Halifax and one in Digby. 

Transport Canada says its regulations have been in force since June 2007, and it is up to operators to follow the rules. The helipads in question are at the IWK Health Centre, the Halifax Infirmary and the Digby General Hospital.

Sylvain Seguin, the vice-president of Canadian Helicopters Ltd., told CTV Atlantic in a telephone conversation that the company has had an agreement to land its Sikorsky S-76A at H-1 helipads since the regulations changed. Seguin says the LifeFlight chopper has undergone rigorous safety tests and meets the intent of Transport Canada’s regulations.

However, Transport Canada says it did not issue an exemption or conclude an agreement with Canadian Helicopters Ltd. for it to operate at the three heliports in question.

In an email, a spokesperson told CTV Atlantic that “Transport Canada takes its aviation safety oversight role very seriously and works continuously to enhance safety. When Transport Canada amends its regulations, air operators are informed of any changes throughout the regulatory process. All air operators must fully comply with safety requirements and ensure their operations remain compliant with aviation safety regulations.”

Transport Canada says it is monitoring the situation with Canadian Helicopters Ltd.

In the meantime, LifeFlight is landing at alternate helipads. In Halifax, the chopper is landing at Point Pleasant Park and patients are being taken to hospital by a mobile critical care unit. In Digby, patients are taken from the airport to hospital by ambulance.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Ritchie