Edmonton plane pull supports Hope Air flights taking Canadians to medical appointments

For 40 years, Hope Air’s medical travel assistance program has provided flights, accommodations and more for Canadians who are low-income and/or must travel far from home for critical medical care.

The charity, which started in 1986, has arranged more than 277,000 free flights, via both airlines and volunteer pilots using their own planes, to help people travel for medical appointments, in particular those in remote communities.

According to Hope Air, one in three patients say they would cancel or postpone medical care without the organization’s support.

In 2025 alone, Hope Air helped with 38,392 travel arrangements, 14,433 flights, 10,288 patient and caregiver trips from 710 communities across Canada — and the charity says the need keeps growing.

It’s a costly endeavour at a time when travel costs are also rising. To help, the charity holds fundraisers like Haul for Hope, which take place in airports across Canada each September.

The Edmonton International Airport’s 2026 event on Monday saw teams compete to pull a 30,000 kg (67,000 lb) WestJet Dash 8 plane 100 metres down the tarmac.

Nicole Stillger has more in the video at the top of this story.