Steinbach MLA and Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced that the Manitoba government is further reducing ambulance fees across the province effective April 1, 2017.

“Our mandate was to make sure ambulance fees were affordable for Manitobans living right across the province,” said Goertzen. “Working with the regional health authorities and other ambulance providers, we are now able to further reduce fees.”

Billings to Manitobans for ambulance services will be reduced to either $425 or the pre-existing base fee established by the service provider, whichever is lower. This follows a previous reduction that was effective Jan. 1, bringing a total decrease of $50 this year, the minister noted.

Ambulance services are outside the scope of the Canada Health Act and costs are the responsibility of the patient in jurisdictions across the country. In Manitoba, land ambulance services are delivered by a combination of providers including regional health authorities and other service providers under agreement with regional health authorities such as municipalities or First Nation communities.

Ambulance fees vary by the provider offering the service. Client fees are used to offset the cost of operations, with the remainder of costs subsidized by the province and other organizations.

The province already provides coverage for certain ambulance services including:

  • inter-facility transfers between health-care facilities;
  • the Northern Patient Transportation Program, which subsidizes medically necessary transportation for residents in the north;
  • helicopter transportation to patients requiring critical and emergent care within a 250-kilometre radius of Winnipeg; and
  • the Lifeflight Air Ambulance program, which provides specialized inter-facility transport for critically ill or injured Manitoba residents who live further than 200 km from Winnipeg.

The minister noted Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living will continue to work with representatives from the regional health authorities to further reduce fees over the next three years.

More information on ambulance fees in Manitoba is available online at gov.mb.ca.