With a new permanent air ambulance stationed on Grand Manan, the village council is making progress on an air hangar to house the new equipment.
Mayor Bonnie Morse said having the air ambulance has been an asset to the island and the winter without an area to shelter the plane was tricky.
“There were a couple of times during the winter, during storms, that we thought they were going to have to move it,” she said. “They ended up being able to keep it here. I think we need to give a big shout out to the Voyageur staff and to Ambulance New Brunswick for their commitment to keeping that plane here because they certainly went above and beyond this winter.”
Now, Morse said, the work begins to finalize the construction of the air hangar.
“At this point, the shell of the hangar is constructed,” she said in an interview. “The concrete plant is opening in the next couple of weeks, hopefully, and we’ll have the floor.”
Morse said the door of the facility must be anchored to the floor.
The island is only accessible by ferry and requires urgent patients to be transferred by aircraft in order to receive treatment on the mainland.
In 2022, Atlantic Charters, which operated the medevac service, was forced to stop operations due to changes in Transport Canada regulations, which saw restrictions on duty and rest times.
The air ambulance was finally restored full-time this summer through an agreement with Ambulance New Brunswick and Voyageur Aviation.
The King Air 200 is now based permanently at the Grand Manan Airport, bearing the emblem of the province’s privately-run ambulance service.
But Morse said building the air hangar has been a learning process.
“I have learned that post-disaster specifications are way more stringent than you can even begin to imagine,” she said. “I have learned that we have a very good construction crew here on the island. I have to give them a shout out because they probably had one of the worst winters as far as cold and ice, and they soldiered through in some winds and very cold temperatures, putting rafters up and getting the building standing.”
Morse said the plane brings a sense of relief to the island.
“If it’s after the ferry stopped running, if it’s a serious case, [it’s essential] that we have that service here,” she said. “I think what people maybe are not quite as aware of, with the advanced care paramedics, they certainly have taken some of the pressure off as well to have that extra layer of scope of practice here on the island, too, to be able to assist patients in need.”
But it isn’t the only health service the island has worked to expand.
The local Scotiabank closed its door in 2022, and the island did work extensively to bring a new bank back to the island.
Instead, the old bank has been converted for optometry, dentistry and other services.
“Our Rotary (Club) has been working and have raised money for and have acquired an optometry chair, and now they’re raising money for some additional equipment, and they have rebuilt a room,” she said. “They’ve done some (renovations) in another part of the building and installed a dental X-ray machine and upgraded the dental facilities that were there.”
Morse said there is often a lot of talk about primary care but this preemptive care can make the difference.
“Sometimes the prevention is as important as what happens after the fact and to avoid getting to that point,” she said. “To be able to have those things here on the island is just huge for the community. We’re really excited to see these things roll out probably later on in the spring into summer.”
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