Minister of Labrador Affairs Lisa Dempster has highlighted changes to the mileage assistance rate for the Medical Transportation Assistance Program.

Patients who travel more than 500 kilometres a year to access specialized medical care under the Medical Transportation Assistance Program are now entitled to a $0.25 per kilometre rate for private vehicle travel, a five-cent increase from the $0.20 rate. The 500-kilometre annual deductible period runs from April 1 to March 31. This new mileage rate is available for eligible kilometres driven on or after April 1.

Over 20,000 trips, or seven million kilometres, have been covered through the Medical Transportation Assistance Program during the 2024-2025 fiscal year.