Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 28
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ATLANTIC CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Values and community come first at Medavie
K
ayla LeMoine always
felt drawn to the
helping professions. In
high school, as
she watched friends
struggle with drug abuse,
she leaned toward a career in
addictions counselling. After
graduating in 2013, she chose
a position at Medavie as a
paramedic. “I always wanted to
do something to help out my
community here in Cape Breton
as much as I could,” she says.
“Paramedicine wasn’t something I
sought out originally, but it was a
good fit.”
For one thing, the job offered
LeMoine a type of human
connection she hadn’t expected.
“Working on the ambulance, you’re
in every kind of situation,” she says.
“You’re in people’s homes, you’re
building personal relationships
with them, getting a comprehensive
idea of their social situations.”
Hiren Shah, a student paramedic at Medavie, participates in outdoor training.
Our culture is driven by
the mission that
we’re on, serving the
well-being of Canadians.
— David Adams
Senior Vice-President,
Insurance Business
“Our culture is driven by the
mission that we’re on, serving
the well-being of Canadians,”
says David Adams, senior vicepresident, insurance business. “In
each of our divisions we are all
focused on that mission. We all get
to make an impact on the health of
Canadians in different ways to help
them live longer, healthier lives.”
Medavie began 83 years ago as
the Maritime Hospital Service
Association, a not-for-profit
organization that addressed the
need for medical expense coverage
in Atlantic Canada. Today, the
company maintains its head office
in Moncton but offers a host of
health services across Canada.
Over the years, the company
expanded its business and
insurance offerings to Québec
and Ontario, added a range of
health care services including
emergency medical services (EMS),
community-based health care
programs, clinical training and
medical communications. It now
operates primary care clinics with
locations in Ontario, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and New Brunswick
and has recently assumed
responsibility for Newfoundland
and Labrador’s integrated ground
and air ambulance services.
Adams started with Medavie
in 2011 with limited experience
working in the health care industry.
“Working for a company whose
prime focus is on the health and
well-being of Canadians makes it
easy to learn quickly and to feel
good about the impact that you can
make every day,” he says.
That feeling continues. “I
recently participated in a town
hall with Medavie employees
discussing our company’s plan for
the next five years,” he says. “There
was tremendous energy in the
room in support of our culture and
values and an overwhelming pride
in the fact that our jobs give us the
privilege of helping people every
day. That’s a good place to be as an
organization.”
Adams says that Medavie’s
primary focus is delivering
great services to customers, but
the company also continues to
evolve the value proposition for
employees, including new ways
of working, such as hybrid work
models.
“Our work environment is
unique, and some roles —
especially in front-line care — can’t
be done in a hybrid or remote
format,” he says. “But for some
employees, their roles are flexible
enough to let them choose the
