County of Newell increases HALO funding to $50,000 in 2022

“I think it reflects the importance this council places on the service that’s provided through HALO, the importance of ambulatory care to southeastern Alberta and certainly to our constituency,” says Reeve Arno Doerksen.

HALO covers the eastern part of the county.

Doerksen says the county wants to contribute $50,000 to HALO each year going forward and adds they are prepared to increase the contribution if the province also takes on a greater share of funding.

HALO has an annual budget of about $3 million, and relies on three funding streams to cover that – community donations, funding from municipal and regional governments, and funding from the Government of Alberta.

The group has long sought consistent funding to stabilize and guarantee the long-term viability of the air ambulance service.

“It’s important when you need it so it’s important that funding is secure and I think it reflects this council’s concern that we fund it adequately and that also other partners come to the table,” says Doerksen. “You’ll notice from the motion that it also calls for the provincial government to come to the table. I don’t think it’s acceptable that this service be inadequately funded on an ongoing basis. I think our council wants to see this resolved.”

Earlier this year, Cypress County gave a one-time investment of $250,000 to help the program deal with the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and will provide $300,000 to HALO in each of the next three years.

by Chris Brown

County of Newell increases HALO funding to $50,000 in 2022

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