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Quebec ambulance zones: the official list

191 zones and a maximum of 395 ambulances, according to the ministerial order. Find your town in the official list, unchanged since 1984.

October 27, 2026 · By the Agent Ambulancier editorial team · Lire en français

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Quebec has 191 ambulance zones in the official list, plus the metropolitan Montreal region, for a maximum of 395 ambulances. This list is Schedule I of the ministerial order on ambulance services (chapter L-0.2, r. 2), up to date as of July 1, 2026 on LégisQuébec. It has not changed since 1984. Search for your town or region in the tool.

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For reference, unofficial data. For Montreal and Laval, a Google summary citing Le Journal de Montréal and Wikipedia gives a fleet of 138 ambulances for Urgences-santé. This number is not counted in the tool: no official source confirms it, and the October 7, 2024 audit by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux gives 200 ambulances.

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What the order says

The ministerial order sets the ambulance service zones and the maximum number of ambulances per region and per zone. Its Schedule I sorts the zones into eleven regions, numbered 01 to 09, with three sub-regions for greater Montreal: 06A, 06B and 06C.

Region 06A has no zones in the schedule. The text states that its zones are set by the regional health and social services council of metropolitan Montreal, with a total of 72 ambulances. Today, Urgences-santé serves Montreal and Laval. According to a performance audit by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux dated October 7, 2024, it has a fleet of 260 vehicles, including 200 ambulances. That is far more than the 72 ambulances written in the 1984 order.

A list from 1984

The only reference for Schedule I on LégisQuébec is ministerial order 84-07-20, from 1984. The decrees that amended the order since, in 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1997, deal with the rates, not the list of zones. The versions page for Schedule I on LégisQuébec shows only one, in force since September 1, 2012. The zones therefore bear their 1984 names. Hull, Aylmer and Gatineau, for example, are three separate zones.

The list also contains an inconsistency. For region 05, the schedule gives a total of 18 ambulances, but its eleven zones add up to 19. The official grand total of 395 follows the total of 18.

What the zone means for a company

The Auditor General of Québec explains, in its May 2025 report, that acquiring an ambulance services permit for a zone automatically gives the company a contract with the ministry, without competition. Outside Montreal and Laval, 43 ambulance companies provide the service. Our article on what ambulance companies cost details these contracts.

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Frequently asked questions

How many ambulance zones are there in Quebec?

Schedule I of the ministerial order lists 191 zones, plus the metropolitan Montreal region, whose zones are set elsewhere. The list dates from 1984. The text is up to date as of July 1, 2026 on LégisQuébec.

What is the maximum number of ambulances per zone?

The maximum ranges from one ambulance, in most small zones, to seven for the Québec zone. The official grand total is 395 ambulances, including 72 for the metropolitan Montreal region. These are maximums written in the order, not the number of ambulances in service today.

Who decides the ambulance zones?

The zones of Schedule I are set by the ministerial order. For region 06A, the order refers to the zones set by the regional council of metropolitan Montreal. The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), Quebec's health ministry, and Santé Québec then sign a contract with each permit holder.

Why is my town not in the list?

Each zone bears the name of a town or area from 1984, but it also covers the surrounding municipalities. A town merged or renamed since often keeps its old name in the order. Search for a nearby town or choose your region in the tool.