Hope Air Day May 6, 2025

Hope Air Day celebrates the mission and impact of our community working together to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all Canadians. Through Hope Air, we bridge the distance between home and hospital for thousands of vulnerable patients living in rural and underserved communities. On Hope Air Day we celebrate the partners, donors, government, volunteers and others who affirm Hope Air as an essential health care service provider and call on others to acknowledge the same.

For people living in rural, remote and under-served communities, unique barriers to access healthcare exist. Through Hope Air, patients in financial need are provided with free airline, hotel, meals and airport ground transportation when travelling far from home. Hope Air has provided over 277,000 travel arrangements since our founding in 1986, for patients living in over 700 diverse communities.

Raise awareness of Hope Air’s role in helping Canada
deliver its promise of universal healthcare

Simple ways you can support Hope Air Day on May 6th

On May 6th we are asking all Canadians to raise awareness of Hope Air Day.
Ways your community can get involved:

Lend your voice by sharing our message leading up to and on May 6th on your social media channels
Record a video sharing your support of Hope Air
Download our digital guide below for key messages, scripts, tags and more.

Hope Air Day will be an action packed day across Canada

We will be celebrating Hope Air Day with events through out Canada recognizing all communities coming together to drive awareness of equitable access to healthcare.

Join us throughout the day on Facebook live to catch the events taking place.

12:00PM EST (9:00 AM PST, 1:30 AST) – Flag Raising at City Hall in acknowledgement of Hope Air Day, with Chief Hope Officer Mark Rubinstein and Sault Ste. Marie Councilor and Hope Air Board Member Sandra Hollingsworth representing Hope Air

1:00 PM-3:00 PM EST (10:00 AM PST, 2:30 AST) – Community Event at Sault Ste. Marie Airport Coinciding with the arrival of the Give Hope Wings expedition, we’ll bring pilots, patients and community stakeholders together to raise awareness of the important issue of equitable access to healthcare.

7:00 PM-9:00 PM EST (4:00 PM PST, 8:30 PM AST) – Hope Air Day concert at Bushplane Museum featuring Cory Marks

Thank you to our Sault Ste. Marie Sponsors

Check out our social media to stay up to date

No patient left behind

Barriers of distance and cost are significant issues that affect many people living in rural, remote, northern or under-served communities. By working together with government, partners and donors, we can reduce these barriers to health care access, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment for thousands of patients in Ontario. This in turn leads to significant better health outcomes for people.

Hope Air supports patients needing to travel for specialty medical care in over 75 communities across the province. In 2024, it is projected that we will be asked to support over 4,000 medical travel arrangements including airline, hotel, meals and ground transportation. Without Hope Air, patients in financial need would be required to pay $2,000 or more per trip in out of pocket travel expenses, causing many people to cancel their medical appointments due to cost.

Make hope take flight

Better Health. Reduced Poverty. Stronger Communities.

Better Health

Bella Hope Air patient from Castlegar, British Columbia
“Without Hope Air, I wouldn’t have been able to go to any of my appointments, and, in hindsight, that would have been devastating, considering how much the treatment has helped.”

Reduced Poverty

Erica, mother to Hope Air patient Kendric, Moncton, New Brunswick
“Hope Air took all my financial worries and stress away, and I will be forever grateful. We have used many different charities throughout our journey of childhood cancer, and honestly, this has been the easiest one to use and the most helpful.”

Stronger Communities

Evan, father to Hope Air patient Sienna Iroquois Falls, Ontario
“Without Hope Air we would have had to stay in Ottawa for the entire year without family. There was no way we would be able to drive the 10-hour trip with a baby, which turns into three days.”