History of the Order
More than 900 years ago, a small hospital was built to care for sick pilgrims at the Abbey of St. Mary in Jerusalem. The hospital was attached to a small church dedicated to St. John, and was operated by monks from the local Benedictine Abbey. The subsequent capture of Jerusalem, in 1099, during the First Crusade and establishment of a Christian Kingdom, encouraged even more pilgrims to visit. More»
Our History in Canada
St. John Ambulance has a rich and proud history of service
in Canada since 1883 that has helped it become the outstanding
charitable organization it is today. This includes wartime service
at home and oversees (both “ambulance” and nursing divisions),
emergency and disaster response, and First Aid and home nursing
training and service. In 2008, St. John Ambulance celebrates
its 125th Anniversary in Canada. More»
Our History in Alberta
St. John was established in Canada in 1883 under the (then) Dominion Council of the St. John Ambulance Association in Canada. The Dominion Council established nursing units and community services in Edmonton and Calgary in 1897 under the auspices of then Edmonton Town Mayor John McDougall who directed St John training and community service activities in the Province through his office in Edmonton.
In 1911, after a period of significant growth in community services membership, and training close to 100 people per year in First Aid to growing populations in the two cities, the St. John Council for Alberta was organized with John McDougall as its first Chair. From 1908 until the mid 1920s St John operated out of McDougall’s garage where training and administration were centred in Alberta.
In 1930 St John moved into its first training centre in the Province. The mission of St John Ambulance remains the same (with minor wording changes) after 107 years in the Province – “Enabling Canadians to improve their health, safety and quality of life by providing training and community services”
St John Ambulance in Alberta was instrumental in bringing compulsory First Aid training to the workplace through joint lobbying with the WCB in the 1920s; providing ambulances, training, blood services and First Aid kits to the Canadian military for both world wars; lobbying for statutory First Aid standards in the 1960s and 70s and advising Government of needed changes to the First Aid Regulations throughout the 1990s. Recently St John Ambulance has been instrumental in developing the CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) program which has been made compulsory as part of the school curriculum for all grade 10 students throughout the province starting in September 2006.