Innisfail Hospital Heliport

The heliport was closed because it no longer met the updated safety standards and regulations set by Transport Canada (specifically, TP 312 - Aerodrome Standards and Recommended Practices). The site was deemed non-compliant, likely due to factors such as insufficient safety area, proximity to new obstacles, or outdated infrastructure, making it unsafe for modern air ambulance helicopter operations.

The original heliport site at the coordinates provided has been fully decommissioned and dismantled. The area is now part of the Innisfail Health Centre's grounds and parking lot. During the period after its closure and before a replacement was built, emergency helicopters landed at the Innisfail Airport (CEM4), requiring a subsequent ground ambulance transfer to the hospital.

The Innisfail Hospital Heliport was a critical piece of emergency medical infrastructure for the town of Innisfail and the surrounding rural communities in Central Alberta. Its primary function was to support medical evacuation (medevac) and inter-facility patient transfers. Air ambulance services, most notably STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service), used the heliport to rapidly transport critically ill or injured patients from accident scenes or remote areas directly to the Innisfail Health Centre. It also enabled swift transfers from Innisfail to larger, more specialized trauma centers in Calgary or Edmonton, significantly reducing transport times in life-or-death situations.

There are zero prospects for reopening the original heliport (CA-1160). It has been permanently replaced by a new, modern, and fully compliant facility. A new heliport, Innisfail Health Centre Heliport (ICAO: CIH2), officially opened in August 2018. This new facility is located a short distance north of the hospital and was specifically designed to meet all current Transport Canada safety regulations, ensuring continued air ambulance access for the community.