Photo courtesy of Colton McKee

By Scott Roblin

Future Uncertain

Barnes: Province denying funding for financially strapped HALO

May 15, 2020 | 5:01 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The partnership between Cypress County and HALO Air Ambulance has been one of the strongest in southeast Alberta over the last decade.

So much so, that Cypress County chose to emblazon its welcome signs with ‘You’re in HALO Country’ just last fall.

That’s why the county is speaking out against news that critical funding needed for HALO to remain operational this summer likely won’t be made available.

“I don’t want to be on the board that couldn’t help HALO out and somebody dies just down the road from a car accident and we can’t get them,” said reeve Dan Hamilton.

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HALO announced on Thursday that they are on their last legs, with both funding and fundraising drying up in recent months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes had a meeting with health minister Tyler Shandro on Thursday following HALO’s announcement, however he was informed that the program will not receive any provincial funds.

“The answer was clear yesterday that the Alberta cabinet is not going to fund HALO,” said Barnes. “So, next week I need to find out what their contingency plan is.”

If they do not receive provincial funding in the coming weeks, HALO says they could see an end to medevac service in the community by July 1.

“We lose the ability to reach the Cypress Hills in 20 minutes or less, we lose the ability to get to Vauxhall inside 30 [minutes],” HALO CEO Paul Carolan told CHAT News on Thursday.

According to Carolan, the program has not received stable funding from the provincial level in their 13 years operating in southeast Alberta.

HALO is asking for their budget to be funded to the tune of $250,000 per month over the next six months by the province to stay open, before they could turn to their limited reserves of donations.

The province did say they have resumed the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services review, which was put on hold following the pandemic.

That review is set to be released in late fall and could result in funding if the province deems fit for organizations like HALO, however that might be too little, too late with the July 1 deadline approaching.

“Yes we need to wait for that, but in the interim the government has to step in and help out somehow,” said Hamilton.

On Friday, the County of 40 Mile released a letter of support regarding HALO and their financial struggles.

“Relying on stakeholder donations alone to provide this lifesaving service is an injustice to anyone living within the HALO boundaries,” said reeve Steve Wikkerink in the letter. “It is time for the Governments of Alberta and Canada to realize the vital service HALO provides to southern Alberta is essential and fully commit to long term, sustainable funding.”

Barnes says he’s been advocating on behalf of HALO for provincial funding since he was first elected in 2012 and has made their views clear to the various governments since that time.

“I know what’s important to the people of southeastern Alberta when they tell me,” said Barnes. “First of all, it’s that the coverage is there in case something happens to a friend or family [member] or a loved one. And secondly, that it’s provided as cost-effective as possible. So, in my discussions with the health minister yesterday those were the two things that I emphasized.”

Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Michaela Glasgo told CHAT News that one of her first meetings following her victory in 2019 was surrounding HALO and the request of funding.

When asked if she and Barnes are being heard by the UCP’s cabinet, Glasgo believes that they are.

“I know from my end I have been doing everything I can,” said Glasgo. “The minister was quick to answer our calls and has always been quick to answer our calls regarding HALO. I know that making sure that we have timely and accessible ambulatory services and air ambulatory services for southeastern Alberta is a priority for him as well.”

Both Glasgo and Barnes say they’ve received assurances from Shandro that there will be no gaps in air ambulatory services in the region, with Barnes set to meet with STARS Air Ambulance next week.

The notion of STARS potentially taking over as the operator of choice in the region is providing little comfort for Cypress County however.

“We have it here, HALO is here,” said Hamilton. “If we don’t get support to them, it’s never going to come back again.”

HALO is planning to scale back to its single-engine helicopter on June 1 if funding does not come through, which is not able to make non-stop flights to Calgary.

With time running out before HALO ceases to exist, Hamilton said Cypress County and local stakeholders will not stop in the hopes of keeping flights from being grounded.

“We still have a few weeks to go, so we have to fight and try and save it,” he said.