MEDEVAC

In 1992 the Province of Ontario moved Medevac helicopter air ambulance services from Buttonville Airport, north of the city, to the Toronto Island Airport. The existence of this service at the island airport, some claim, is a good reason to keep the airport in service. The reality, however, is that this move increased the response times of the helicopters and increased the health risks to some critically ill patients.

The reason the Medevac helicopters were relocated was solely because the island airport offered lower rents than those of other airports. At the time health care professionals objected to the move, saying that it would increase response times, and over the years experience has proven this to be true.

Virtually all of the Medevac pickups are north of the city. When there is a health care emergency requiring immediate assistance, the helicopters have to fly from the island airport, over the city and north to make the pickup. This increases response times by an estimated seven minutes on average. Those seven minutes, in some cases, are essential in saving the lives of patients.

All Toronto region Medevac services should be relocated north of the city, either to Buttonville, Pearson or one of the smaller airports in York Region. This would save lives and reduce the amount of pollution dumped over the people of the City of Toronto.

For more information on Medevac see PDF Improving Air Ambulance Response Times in Southern Ontario for Critical Time Care Transport (An analysis of how locaing Medevac Helicopters at the island airpot impacts emergency response times).