New Partnership with Hope Air to Enhance Medical Transportation Coverage
Pictured: Mark Rubinstein, Chief Hope Officer, Hope Air and Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister of Labrador Affiars
Labrador Affairs
July 8, 2025
The Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister of Labrador Affairs, announced today that the Provincial Government has entered into a new pilot program in partnership with the national charity Hope Air.
Through collaboration with the Medical Transportation Assistance Program managed by the Department of Labrador Affairs, Hope Air will coordinate airline services, accommodations, meals and arrival airport ground transportation for low to moderate income individuals and families.
The program will provide upfront support to patients who are required to travel long distances to reach specialized insured medical services. The services will be provided to residents at no cost, subject to Hope Air eligibility requirements. Hope Air coordinates all medical travel logistics on behalf of patients including booking airline, hotel and other services, and all changes that may be required during a patient’s medical travel journey.
This enhanced medical transportation pilot program is effective immediately through to March 31, 2026. Patients with annual household income up to $70,000 per year, travelling for eligible specialized insured medical services, as recognized by the province, may qualify for Hope Air travel support. Funding assistance is provided on a case by case basis to Hope Air through the Medical Transportation Assistance Program for patients who meet these eligibility criteria. In addition, patients with household income exceeding $70,000 annually may be eligible for financial assistance through the existing Medical Transportation Assistance Program or Hope Air, subject to respective eligibility requirements. More information about Hope Air is available in the backgrounder below.
This support is in addition to the increase of the mileage assistance rate for the Medical Transportation Assistance Program that was announced in Budget 2025, which further benefits Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who need to leave home for important medical services. It also helps to improve the overall well-being of residents and their communities.
Quotes
“Through this partnership with Hope Air, our government is furthering its commitment to improve access to health care and reduce barriers of distance and cost for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Hope Air has been working to assist patients across our province for over 35 years, and their experience and commitment in supporting the unique needs of low-moderate income patients is unparalleled.”
Honourable Lisa Dempster
Minister of Labrador Affairs
“Hope Air commends the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for its ongoing commitment to deliver equitable access to health care for people living in rural, remote or under-served communities. Through this new funding initiative, Hope Air will assist hundreds of vulnerable individuals, families and children for both in-province and out of province medical travel needs. Hope Air supports patients residing in over 77 communities throughout the province and delivers over 2,000 medical travel arrangements annually.”
Mark Rubinstein
Chief Hope Officer, Hope Air
-30-
Learn more
Medical Transportation Assistance – Labrador Affairs
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Media contacts
Janice Goudie
Labrador Affairs
709-896-7935, 709-899-6446
janicegoudie@gov.nl.ca
Jodi Lumsden
Hope Air
jlumsden@hopeair.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Hope Air is Canada’s national charity providing free travel and accommodations for low-moderate income Canadians who must travel far from home for non-emergency medical care not available in their home community.
Through collaboration with the Medical Transportation Assistance Program managed by the Department of Labrador Affairs, Hope Air will coordinate airline services, accommodations, meals and arrival airport ground transportation for low to moderate income individuals and families.
The program will provide upfront support to patients who are required to travel long distances to reach specialized insured medical services. The services will be provided to residents at no cost, subject to Hope Air eligibility requirements. Hope Air coordinates all medical travel logistics on behalf of patients including booking airline, hotel and other services, and all changes that may be required during a patient’s medical travel journey.
This enhanced medical transportation pilot program is effective immediately through to March 31, 2026. Patients with annual household income up to $70,000 per year, travelling for eligible specialized insured medical services, as recognized by the province, may qualify for Hope Air travel support. Funding assistance is provided on a case by case basis to Hope Air through the Medical Transportation Assistance Program for patients who meet these eligibility criteria. In addition, patients with household income exceeding $70,000 annually may be eligible for financial assistance through the existing Medical Transportation Assistance Program or Hope Air, subject to respective eligibility requirements. More information about Hope Air is available in the backgrounder below.
This support is in addition to the increase of the mileage assistance rate for the Medical Transportation Assistance Program that was announced in Budget 2025, which further benefits Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who need to leave home for important medical services. It also helps to improve the overall well-being of residents and their communities.
Quotes
“Through this partnership with Hope Air, our government is furthering its commitment to improve access to health care and reduce barriers of distance and cost for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Hope Air has been working to assist patients across our province for over 35 years, and their experience and commitment in supporting the unique needs of low-moderate income patients is unparalleled.”
Honourable Lisa Dempster
Minister of Labrador Affairs
“Hope Air commends the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for its ongoing commitment to deliver equitable access to health care for people living in rural, remote or under-served communities. Through this new funding initiative, Hope Air will assist hundreds of vulnerable individuals, families and children for both in-province and out of province medical travel needs. Hope Air supports patients residing in over 77 communities throughout the province and delivers over 2,000 medical travel arrangements annually.”
Mark Rubinstein
Chief Hope Officer, Hope Air
-30-
Learn more
Medical Transportation Assistance – Labrador Affairs
Follow us on X @GovNL and @OLA_GovNL
Follow us on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Media contacts
Janice Goudie
Labrador Affairs
709-896-7935, 709-899-6446
janicegoudie@gov.nl.ca
Jodi Lumsden
Hope Air
jlumsden@hopeair.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Hope Air is Canada’s national charity providing free travel and accommodations for low-moderate income Canadians who must travel far from home for non-emergency medical care not available in their home community.
- In 2024, Hope Air provided 2,137 medical travel arrangements for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Over one-third of Hope Air’s recipients in Newfoundland & Labrador say that without Hope Air they would have otherwise cancelled or postponed their appointment due to inability to cover the upfront costs of travel.
- More than 50 per cent of Hope Air users in the province are children or the elderly.
- Hope Air is accredited by Imagine Canada’s Standards. This accreditation validates our commitment to good governance and transparency.
- For more information, including eligibility, visit hopeair.ca