The mayor of Grand Manan said a new virtual health care delivery system is working well for those living on the island.
Teladoc Health Canada offers residents virtual access to physicians.
“There is a specified number of nights through the week, I think it’s three, where there is service available,” said Grand Manan Mayor Bonnie Morse.
Morse said the doctor is present virtually, but nurses will assist with testing and examination.
“For Grand Manan, it is particularly important because the doctors we have on the island are family doctors, not necessarily emergency doctors,” she said. “I have heard really positive feedback from the community.”
She said anecdotally people have told her the system works well.
“The pilot project goes until September and we’re hopeful that Grand Manan will be able to continue because we are in a unique situation,” she said.
Grand Manan is isolated in the Bay of Fundy and is about 30 kilometres away from mainland New Brunswick. The only method of transportation to the island is by ferry.
“Where we don’t have a doctor on site all the time, it provides that extra level of comfort and security,” Morse said.
The island also recently built a permanent air hangar for an air ambulance, following challenges with full-time service. Ambulance New Brunswick partnered with Voyageur Aviation. A King Air 200 is stationed on the island to transport patients in urgent medical need.
The program was originally launched at the Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen and Sussex. Health Minister Dr. John Dornan said in June 2025 when answering questions in the Legislative Assembly that the pilot had been terminated early in Sussex and was moved to Grand Manan.
Horizon Health Network said in a statement the pilot remains in place and is complementing an existing network of physicians.
“Throughout the pilot, Horizon has monitored a number of indicators, including patient volumes, acuity, wait times and overall service utilization, to better understand the impact of the program on emergency department operations and access to care,” Greg Doiron, vice-president of clinical operations, Horizon Health Network, said in a statement.
It said the regional health authority was reviewing options to continue past the Sept. 30, 2026 end date.
“Planning is underway, and any updates regarding future service delivery will be shared with community stakeholders as decisions are finalized,” he said in the statement.
