Photo courtesy of Ross Lavigne.

By Alex McCuaig

Southern Alberta mayors calling for support

Southern AB Mayors and Reeves calling on province to fund HALO

Sep 5, 2019 | 5:21 PM

Bow Island, AB – The Mayors and Reeves of Southern Alberta have passed a motion calling on the provincial government to, “provide adequate and ongoing funding to HALO,” according to a press release issued Wednesday by the group.

The group, which is made up of the Southeast Alberta Mayors and Reeves as well as their southwestern Alberta counterparts, passed the motion at their July 31, 2019 collective meeting. The group also voted on calling on the province to conduct an independent review of the entire helicopter EMS system in the province.

Gordon Reynolds, Bow Island Mayor and chair of the southeast committee, says HALO requires provincial support if the region is going to have helicopter rescue services based in the area which they serve.

“The HALO board feels that they can still raise a significant amount of money through public donation because they have very strong support,” said Reynolds. “But it is not covering the full cost of the program and they need the government to get back to the table with them and get an agreement worked out.”

Reynolds said the provincial government’s one-time grant of $1 million for a year of funding HALO is reaching its end and the Mayors and Reeves want the provincial government to provide $750,000 in bridge funding to keep the operation afloat.

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Regarding the call to review helicopter EMS services provincially, Reynolds said it’s understandable to have much of the services concentrated along the Highway 2 corridor but the government needs to, “decide what we need in this province and listen to what we have to say.”