Five of STARS’ Western Canada fleet have now been newer helicopters, and the most recent was showcased in Melfort on Monday. President and CEO Andrea Robertson says the event and the helicopter also pay tribute to the man who brought STARS to Saskatchewan and has since helped it flourished. She says the last three letters of the helicopter’s registration marks are FRG, which stands for “Founder Rod Gantefoer”.

Robertson explains that Gantefoer was the Finance Minister when Brad Wall was Premier. Gantefoer later led the STARS Foundation in Saskatchewan and most recently led fundraising efforts to build the new helipad in his hometown at the Melfort Hospital.

STARS has a fleet of ten helicopters across Western Canada, and three are housed in Saskatchewan. In 2018, STARS unveiled its multi-year Keep the Fight in Flight capital campaign to renew its fleet of aircraft and Robertson says so far five have been fully funded. Each is worth $13-million.