Ontario breaks ground on new emergency services aircraft facility

The Ontario government has officially broken ground on the new Ornge and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) emergency services aircraft hangar at Lake Simcoe Regional Airport. Backed by a $56.3 million provincial investment, the nearly 100,000-square-foot facility will house Ornge’s two new fixed-wing Special Mission Aircraft, four OPP helicopters and four OPP fixed-wing aircraft, helping strengthen emergency response capabilities and connect more families in rural, Northern and remote communities to emergency services when they need it most.

“The state-of-the-art Ornge-OPP hangar will provide a strategically located hub for Ornge’s new high-speed, long-distance Special Mission Aircraft, and ensure timely emergency care is available across Ontario,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

The new state-of-the-art hangar will house ten emergency support aircraft, providing emergency response coverage across the province. By bringing together air ambulance and policing aviation services at this strategic location, the new hangar will streamline logistics to deploy critical care and law enforcement resources faster, speeding up response times to life-threatening situations such as car accidents, heart attacks and strokes. Construction on the hangar is set to be completed in winter 2027.

“Co-locating with the Ontario Provincial Police at our new Lake Simcoe Regional Airport base reflects the Government of Ontario’s commitment to collaboration, efficiency, and strong public services. By sharing infrastructure and resources, we are maximizing value for taxpayers while enhancing our collective ability to deliver critical emergency response capabilities,” Said Dr. Homer Tien,Ornge president and CEO.

OPP Aviation Services operates a fleet of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft that support frontline policing, specialized investigations, search and rescue operations, tactical deployments, personnel transportation and emergency response efforts across Ontario.

“OPP Aviation Services plays a critical role in supporting frontline policing and emergency response operations across Ontario. This shared facility will enhance our ability to deploy aviation resources efficiently, strengthen collaboration with our emergency service partners at Ornge,” said Thomas Carrique, OPP Commissioner.

Featured image: (Government of Ontario)