Ambulance New Brunswick

Ambulance New Brunswick (ANB), also known in French as Ambulance Nouveau-Brunswick, is a provincial Crown corporation administered by the New Brunswick Department of Health. It oversees the province-wide organization of pre-hospital emergency health services, including ground ambulance operations, emergency medical dispatch, support facilities, and critical-care air ambulance services. ANB does not function simply as a local ambulance operator: it acts as the provincial administrator and contracting authority for the emergency medical system. ANB contracts ground and air ambulance delivery to New Brunswick EMS Inc., a subsidiary of Medavie Health Services. Through this arrangement, NB EMS operates the frontline ambulance network and employs approximately 800 paramedics, while ANB remains responsible for system administration and oversight. The arrangement gives New Brunswick a unified provincial structure rather than a collection of independently operated local services. The organization was created on June 6, 2007, after a period in which emergency ambulance coverage was supplied by roughly 52 private, public, and volunteer operators. Before provincial consolidation, the level of clinical care, staff qualifications, ambulance equipment, and vehicle condition could vary between communities. ANB began provincial operations on December 16, 2007, following the government's decision to standardize the service and improve consistency across the province. Its operational model includes a provincial 911 ambulance dispatch centre in Moncton, known as the Medical Communications Management Centre. The centre coordinates emergency medical responses throughout New Brunswick and is operated by NB EMS. Ground services use a province-wide fleet of ambulances, with vehicles leased from Malley Industries, a manufacturer based in Moncton. ANB also leases support facilities under long-term arrangements; those facilities are operated under contract by NB EMS. For patients requiring specialized transport, ANB provides critical-care air ambulance services through its Aircare program, using fixed-wing aircraft. This air component complements the ground network and supports the movement of critically ill or injured patients over longer distances. The combination of centralized dispatch, contracted ground response, and fixed-wing critical-care transport makes ANB the coordinating brand for New Brunswick's integrated emergency medical services system. ANB's positioning is fundamentally public-service and system-oriented. Its role is to provide province-wide governance, standardization, contracting, and coordination rather than to market consumer products. The organization is therefore best understood as a public emergency-health-services brand operating within the provincial health system. Its frontline services are delivered under contract by NB EMS, while responsibility for the overall provincial framework remains with ANB and the Department of Health.

Before Ambulance New Brunswick was established, emergency ambulance coverage in New Brunswick was delivered by a decentralized network of approximately 52 private, public, and volunteer operators. The fragmented structure meant that the standard of medical care, qualifications of personnel, ambulance condition, and available supplies could differ from one part of the province to another. This variation created a policy rationale for a single provincial framework capable of setting consistent expectations and coordinating resources across urban, rural, and remote communities. New Brunswick's reform followed similar provincial developments elsewhere in Atlantic Canada. Nova Scotia had moved toward a more centralized ambulance model in 1994, and Prince Edward Island did so in 2005. The Government of New Brunswick created Ambulance New Brunswick on June 6, 2007, as a provincial Crown corporation administered by the Department of Health. Rather than directly operating every ambulance, ANB was designed to manage the provincial system and arrange service delivery through contractual relationships. A 10-year, performance-based operating contract was awarded to New Brunswick EMS Inc., a subsidiary of Medavie EMS and, subsequently, part of Medavie Health Services. New Brunswick EMS became responsible for frontline ground and air ambulance operations, while ANB retained the provincial administrative role. The service transition took effect on December 16, 2007, marking the start of ANB's province-wide operating model. Under the resulting structure, NB EMS operates the ground ambulance fleet, support facilities, and the provincial 911 ambulance dispatch centre in Moncton. The dispatch facility is known as the Medical Communications Management Centre and coordinates emergency medical responses throughout New Brunswick. ANB leases the ground ambulances from Malley Industries in Moncton and leases support facilities through long-term agreements. These facilities are operated under contract by NB EMS. ANB's responsibilities also include critical-care air ambulance coordination through its Aircare program. The program uses fixed-wing aircraft to transport patients requiring specialized or longer-distance medical movement. Ground and air services together form an integrated provincial network, with dispatch and operational coordination linking emergency calls to the appropriate response resources. The organization employs or supports a system involving approximately 800 paramedics through its contracted delivery model. Its significance lies less in a consumer-facing product portfolio than in the standardization and governance of essential public infrastructure. ANB provides the administrative identity for New Brunswick's pre-hospital emergency health system, while contracted medical professionals and operational teams provide the direct patient response. The model remains active as part of the province's publicly coordinated health-services architecture.

1. 2007Ambulance New Brunswick is established

   The Government of New Brunswick created ANB on June 6, 2007, as a provincial Crown corporation under the Department of Health.

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2. 2007Provincial operations begin

   ANB began provincial operations on December 16, 2007, replacing the previous decentralized network with a province-wide administrative and contracted-service structure.

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3. 2005Prince Edward Island adopts a centralized ambulance model

   Prince Edward Island's restructuring preceded the creation of Ambulance New Brunswick and formed part of the wider Atlantic Canadian context for ambulance-service consolidation.

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4. 1994Nova Scotia adopts an earlier centralized ambulance model

   Nova Scotia's prior move toward centralized ambulance administration provided a regional precedent for later reforms in New Brunswick.

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A province-wide public emergency medical services administrator focused on standardized pre-hospital care, centralized coordination, and integrated ground and air ambulance coverage.

• Ground ambulance servicesEmergency medical services2007

  ANB administers province-wide ground ambulance coverage delivered under contract by New Brunswick EMS Inc. The network responds to 911 medical emergencies, provides pre-hospital assessment and treatment, and transports patients using a standardized provincial operating framework. ANB leases the ground ambulance vehicles from Malley Industries in Moncton, while NB EMS manages frontline operations and support facilities.

• AircareCritical-care air ambulance

  Aircare is ANB's critical-care air ambulance program. It uses fixed-wing aircraft for specialized patient transportation, particularly when the distance, clinical condition, or need for advanced care makes air transfer appropriate. The program operates as part of the broader provincial emergency medical services system and complements ground ambulance response.

• Medical Communications Management CentreEmergency medical dispatch2007

  The Medical Communications Management Centre is the provincial 911 ambulance dispatch centre located in Moncton. Operated by NB EMS, it coordinates emergency medical responses across New Brunswick and serves as the communications hub linking calls for assistance with available ambulance resources.

• 2007Consolidation of provincial ambulance administrationStrategy

  Before 2007, New Brunswick relied on approximately 52 private, public, and volunteer ambulance operators, with variation in care standards, staff qualifications, vehicles, and equipment.

  What changed. The provincial government created ANB and introduced a province-wide administrative structure, contracting frontline ground and air ambulance delivery to New Brunswick EMS Inc. under a performance-based operating agreement.

  Aftermath. The new model began on December 16, 2007, creating centralized administration, provincial dispatch coordination, and a more standardized framework for pre-hospital emergency care.

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• 2007New Brunswick creates Ambulance New Brunswick

  The Government of New Brunswick established Ambulance New Brunswick as a provincial Crown corporation to administer and standardize pre-hospital emergency health services.

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• 2007Ambulance New Brunswick begins province-wide operations

  ANB commenced provincial operations after the former system of numerous private, public, and volunteer ambulance providers was consolidated under a province-wide administrative model.

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1. Ambulance New Brunswick
2. Ambulance New Brunswick official website