Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services – British Columbia

With the generous support of the Government of British Columbia (BC), and with our partners at Hope Air, we’re expanding our Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services program to support more people in BC. Residents of BC receiving cancer treatment in BC on or after April 1, 2023 are eligible for support under the expanded program.

Our expanded Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services program offers financial grants to help reduce travel costs, air and ground transportation, and accommodations. We’re here to help.  

• To apply for the Travel Treatment Fund, including travel to receive a bone marrow transplant, please download the application form.
• If you are travelling 4 hours or more for your cancer care, you may be able to access free air travel support from Hope Air. To learn more, visit hopeair.ca/travel-faq/ or call 1-877-346-4673.
• To learn more about ground transportation with our Wheels of Hope program or to stay at one of our lodges during your cancer treatment, please call us at 1-888-939-3333

The Canadian Cancer Society and Hope Air have a long history of supporting people who need to travel to receive medical care and treatment. Our organizations offer distinct but complementary programs and services nationwide, including transportation assistance, comfortable accommodations and financial support to reduce travel costs.

We know how difficult it is to face a cancer diagnosis and that it’s even harder if you need to travel to receive care. If you live more than four hours from your cancer treatment, you may qualify for air transportation support through Hope Air. Otherwise you may qualify for one or more of the support programs offered by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Please call us at 1-888-939-3333 to learn more about what programs are right for you. We’re here to help.

Additional investment from the BC Government has allowed for the creation of the Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services BC (CTAAS-BC) program. Through this program, CCS is:

• Increasing access and eligibility for the Travel Treatment Fund while providing more funding to each eligible applicant and establishing a leukemia/bone marrow transplant grant for patients needing to travel for transplants
• Working with our partners at Hope Air to provide air transportation, ensuring people can get the support they need to get to and from their medical appointments however and whenever they need
• Expanding the Wheels of Hope volunteer driving service to underserved areas in Vancouver Island and the Kootenay region to offer more options for ground transportation
• Eliminating patients’ out-of-pocket costs to stay at our BC-based lodges for those who are not supported by any other government program (a nominal fee still remains for caregivers). If the lodge is full, we will book hotel accommodations on behalf of patients. To learn more, please call us at 1-888-939-3333

Yes, we’re here to help. Please call us at 1-888-939-3333 to speak with a dedicated Intake Support Specialist who can tell you more about the options available.

Please fill out an application form and submit it by email or mail. Please review the instructions and eligibility criteria included within the form, which are based on household income and distance travelled. Depending on the distance you are travelling, the form may need to be signed by a member of your healthcare team before you submit it. 

If you have further questions, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help. 

The Travel Treatment Fund is available to British Columbia residents. If you live outside British Columbia, please contact us at 1-888-939-3333 to learn about options that may be available, including Wheels of Hope and our lodges.

We’re here to help.

You can apply for funds through the Travel Treatment Fund once per year, but you can stay at a Lodge or use our Wheels of Hope program throughout your cancer treatment. You may reapply for additional funds after one year if you remain in treatment and have not entered into follow-up care. If you have further questions, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

A trusted family member or friend can help with your application and, depending on the distance you are travelling, it may need to be signed by a member of your healthcare team. If you have any questions about the application, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

Applications take approximately two weeks to process. Cheques will be sent directly to you at the address provided on the application form. If you have not received your cheque after this time, please call us at 1-888-939-3333 and select the ‘transportation’ prompt.

The amount of financial assistance available depends on your household income and distance travelled. The eligibility criteria are available on the application form. If you have further questions, please call us at 1-888-939-3333.

We’re here to help.

Yes, you may receive funding to cover past travel expenses if you were in treatment on or after April 1, 2023 and your treatment is now finished. Download the application form and submit it by email or mail. If you have further questions, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

No. There is no need to save your receipts as this is a grant. Once we have received your application, it takes approximately two weeks to process and a cheque will be sent directly to you at the address provided on the application form. 

Yes, you can also access our other Cancer Travel and Accommodation Services programs alongside the Travel Treatment Fund. 

If you are still in active treatment and your income changes, you may apply retroactively. Please download the application form, which also includes an overview of eligibility. Once you have completed the form, please submit it by email or mail. 

Yes, you can drop off your application in person at the address below or send it by mail. Alternatively, you can email your completed application to BCTravelFund@cancer.ca. 

Canadian Cancer Society
Attn: Travel Treatment Fund
575 W 10th Ave
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4C3

Financial support is available for patients who need to travel more than 60 minutes to the hospital for a bone marrow transplant and includes those who have had to leave home to temporarily relocate to Vancouver for their transplant.* Financial support is also available for patients who need to travel more than 60 minutes to receive CAR-T therapy.
 
There is a section on Bone Marrow Transplant and CAR-T Therapy within the Travel Treatment Fund application form. 

If you have any questions, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.
 
* Those receiving their transplant at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre or BC Children’s Hospital are not eligible as funding is already available to them.

Hope Air provides free flights, accommodations, airport ground transportation and meal vouchers for people who need to travel more than 4 hours for medical care. When a person lives four hours or more from their cancer treatment, the Hope Air Client Care team will make all flight arrangements and leverage the Canadian Cancer Society’s travel and support program where available. To learn more, visit hopeair.ca/travel-faq/ or call 1-877-346-4673.

For those who live closer to treatment, there may be support available through the Canadian Cancer Society. Please call us at 1-888-939-3333 to discuss what program is best for your travel needs. We’re here to help.

Yes, you may choose to drive instead of fly. Funding through the Travel Treatment Fund is available to reduce any travel costs incurred, based on eligibility criteria. If you have questions about how the program can best support you, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

You may choose your preferred method of travel to get to your treatment, and funding is available through the Travel Treatment Fund to help reduce any travel costs incurred, based on eligibility criteria. Please call us at 1-888-939-3333 to learn more. We’re here to help.

Funding through this program is available if you are a resident of British Columbia and you were receiving cancer treatment in British Columbia on or after April 1, 2023. If you have questions, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

Funding through this program is available if your treatment is covered under the provincial healthcare program.

Depending on your household income, you may still qualify for financial support even if you don’t have to travel very far. You may also be able to access our Wheels of Hope program. Please call us at 1-888-939-3333 to learn more about what program is best for you. We’re here to help. 

Hope Air uses eligibility criteria, including household income, to assess which patients qualify for support. If you have questions about which program is right for you, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

Our free volunteer driving program, Wheels of Hope, connects people who need transportation to cancer treatments with volunteer drivers. Our drivers are trained to provide safe and reliable rides to approved cancer treatment facilities. The program operates in the Interior (Okanagan), Prince George and on Vancouver Island, and will be expanding to both the West and East Kootenays with travel support into Cranbrook and Trail. To learn more about Wheels of Hope, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

The Canadian Cancer Society operates seven welcoming and affordable lodges  across Canada, four of which are located in British Columbia (Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna and Prince George). The lodges  provide accommodation for people with cancer and their families who must travel for cancer treatment outside of their home communities. Thanks to additional funding from the BC Government, there is no fee for patients who are not supported by any other government program to stay at our lodges. A nominal fee remains for caregivers. To learn more about our lodges , please call us at 1-888-939-3333. We’re here to help.

If the lodge is full, the lodge staff will add you to a waitlist in case a bed becomes available.

If a bed does not become available in the lodge, the lodge staff will arrange hotel accommodation for you. The CTAAS program will cover the full cost of the hotel.  

If you have any questions about how we can support with accommodation, please call us at 1-888-939-3333.

Yes, a caregiver can stay with you at the lodge for a nominal fee. To learn more about our lodges and fees for caregivers, please call us at 1-888-939-3333. The lodges in Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver charge a caregiver fee of $52 per bed per night. Thanks to the generosity of local donors, the lodge in Prince George charges a caregiver fee of $30 per bed per night. 

Pets are not allowed to stay at the lodge unless it is a certified service dog. The lodge staff will ask for proof of certification. If you have any questions, or to learn more about our lodges, please call us at 1-888-939-3333.