Has anyone else noticed the very interesting comparison of the air ambulance services in Ontario vs. Alberta (and soon Saskatchewan)?
In Ontario, their air ambulance system, ORNGE, is owned and operated by an arm of the provincial government, largely from government funds. It spends an inordinate amount of money, and has been the subject of a financial scandal over the last year.
In Alberta, the air ambulance system, STARS, is owned and operated as a charity. It raises it’s money largely through donations and a lottery. It does not spend anywhere close to the amount of money ORNGE burns through – yet provides a service that Albertans are proud of and willing to fund out of their own pockets via the annual lottery.
This should tell you a story about why government should never be the first choice to operate something that could be done better by the private sector.
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3 comments
Gerry from GTA
9 June 2012 at 23:31 (UTC -6) Link to this comment
what was wrong with the system before that? I remember seeing choppers landing on sick kids in the 90′s.
if it was bad then why was it not improved with the new system. where was the accountability or even metrics to measure the success?
simple questions with not so simple answers.
what is the scoop?
Dirt
10 June 2012 at 14:53 (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Gerry it wasn’t bad, CHL ran a very experienced ship and cost a mere fraction of what Ornge cost. It appears that the government and one individual decided they could turn the program into an empire. DIdn’t work out so well did it?
Ira
12 June 2012 at 17:20 (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This borders on off-topic,. but this is why Naheed Nenshi is either an idiot or disingenuous. He says things like “Is clearing the snow off the roads a left-wing or a right-wing issue?”. But he’s asking the wrong question – how you clear the roads is a right-wing vs. left-wing issue.
The same is true for these air ambulances. Someone in Ontario thinks that having the government run this service is better. Someone in Alberta thinks it’s better to have the service offered privately. This is the right/left divide Nenshi denies exists.