Plains, boreal forests, tundra, and the ancient hills of the Canadian Shield – all characteristics of Ontario’s 1.076 million square kilometres in land area – an area larger than that of France and Spain combined. Despite the vast amount of land in the province, only six percent of the population lives in the northern region. In the northwest, one in five people identify as Indigenous and one-third of people live in a rural area. For most rural communities in the north, Ornge is relied upon for access to important healthcare services. 

Time and distance are real challenges when it comes to northern healthcare, and Ornge’s northern bases are a vital factor in ensuring health equity for communities across Ontario. The small town of Kenora is home to one of six Ornge bases that service northern Ontario. Within the operation is Ryan Daubney, a Critical Care Flight Paramedic who has worked throughout the Northwestern Ontario region with Ornge. He first started in Thunder Bay before moving closer to home in Sioux Lookout, then more recently to Kenora. 

Daubney joined Ornge in 2014 and recently celebrated 10 years with Ornge in September 2024. He arrived at Ornge as a Primary Care Paramedic, worked a few years at the Advanced Care flight level before completing Critical Care Certification through Ornge’s Critical Care Program in early 2022. 

“The opportunity to advance your career at Ornge was a driving factor to make the jump to flight,” Daubney says. “People coming in now are trained to critical care through a recently revised critical care program; all that training is done in-house with various clinical experience opportunities.”

But it wasn’t just the education that drove Daubney to join Ornge; the chance to make a difference in northern Ontario was and remains his primary motivation in providing emergency medical services. His role sees him completing two or more transports per day, with the possibility of caring for patients overnight in different communities. Despite the business and unpredictability of being a CCP in northern Ontario, Daubney says it's that same adventure that has kept him at Ornge for the past 10 years, committed to providing the best care he can for Northern Ontario.

“I want to provide a positive change for the people in Northwestern Ontario and ensure health equity for people in the north,” says Daubney, “I stay motivated by being active in paramedicine committees and educational opportunities at Ornge. I’m excited for the future of critical care transport in Ontario.”

In the north, many remote Indigenous communities require tertiary care transport for things such as bloodwork, advanced diagnostic imaging, medical procedures and many other things that Southerners can find within 10 minutes of their home. Daubney emphasizes that to pull off unique transports at the highest level of care, communication and teamwork is key. This includes everyone from Aircraft Maintenance Engineers to the Operations Control Centre to the Pilots and Paramedics. 

“The northern bases are a close-knit group. We have people originally from the region, and many people who have come to Ornge from southern Ontario, other provinces, or internationally.”

In his 10 years with Ornge, Ryan Daubney has made his mark on northern communities and the countless patients he’s transported. But what is his one piece of advice to aspiring paramedics?

“It’s okay not to know everything. But know where to find answers and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be ready for a career of lifelong learning in an ever-changing field.”

• Inside Ornge