What St. John Ambulance does

St. John Ambulance Canada is a federally chartered charitable organization and foundation of the international Order of St. John, operating across all 13 Canadian provinces and territories through a federated network of provincial/territorial councils and a National Office in Ottawa. Founded in 1888, the organization is one of Canada's oldest humanitarian entities and delivers a tripartite mission: (1) paid first aid and CPR certification training, (2) sales of first aid kits, AEDs, and related supplies, and (3) volunteer-driven community services including Therapy Dog visits, Medical First Response at public events, and Emergency Response Units for disaster relief. Course fees span $29.95 to $280 across roughly 93 training courses spanning workplace first aid, marine first aid, mental health, pet and family first aid, and online safety courses, while products range from $1.95 pocket guides to $2,619 AEDs. Business accounts serve bulk corporate orders, and the organization is funded in parallel by donations and grants (Public Safety Canada, Health Canada SUAP).

The technology stack is modest and operational rather than differentiated: a Learning Management System powers online and blended course delivery, a centralized National Certificate Database issues electronically recorded certificates with unique numbers, and digital completion badges are issued for shareability. CSA Z1210-17 compliant training standards, Transport Canada-approved Marine First Aid certification, and CNESST-subsidized Quebec workplace courses anchor regulatory credibility. No AI/ML capability is disclosed; integration, proprietary IP, and platform sophistication are limited.

Go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer e-commerce (sja.ca in English and French) for course registration and product purchase, 13 provincial/territorial councils for in-person training and volunteer coordination, dedicated business accounts for enterprise buyers, and event/community engagement driven by 15,000+ volunteers delivering more than 1,000,000 service hours annually. Strategic partnerships include the Mental Health Commission of Canada, TEMA Foundation, Subaru Canada, Pet Smart, Johnson Insurance, Basecamp Connect, and federal funding partners Public Safety Canada and Health Canada. Operating across Canada only, with the organization explicitly noting it is not publicly traded and is not PE/VC-owned.

Name

St. John Ambulance

Legal name

Priory of the Canada of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem

Website

https://sja.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

St. John Ambulance Canada, founded 1888, is a federally chartered charitable organization that delivers CSA-compliant first aid and CPR training, mental health courses, and first aid product sales, and operates 15,000+ volunteers across Canada providing Therapy Dog visits, Medical First Response, and Emergency Response services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. First Aid Training Courses: Revenue from delivering first aid and CPR training courses in various formats (in-class, blended, online, virtual). Course fees range from $29.95 to $280 depending on course type and duration.
2. First Aid Products: Sales of first aid kits, AEDs, equipment, supplies, and books through e-commerce platform. Product categories include workplace kits, home kits, AEDs, supplies.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Donations from the public to support community volunteer programs and services. SJA is a registered charity.
4. Business Accounts: Bulk orders and business account services for workplace first aid training and supplies compliance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

St. John Ambulance is a Canadian charitable non-profit organization delivering first aid and CPR training courses (in-class, blended, online, and virtual formats), selling first aid kits, AEDs, and related supplies, and operating volunteer community service programs including the Therapy Dog Program, Medical First Responders, and Emergency Response Units. It serves workplaces, individuals, families, and communities across all Canadian provinces and territories through a federated structure of provincial and territorial councils.

Product overview

St. John Ambulance offers a comprehensive first aid and CPR training platform combined with physical product offerings. The training portfolio includes certification courses (Standard/Intermediate First Aid, Emergency/Basic First Aid, Advanced First Aid) and specialized programs (Mental Health First Aid, Marine First Aid, Pet First Aid, Wilderness First Aid) delivered through in-class, blended, online, and virtual formats. The product line centers on first aid preparedness supplies including First Aid Kits (Canada Labour Code and CSA-compliant variants), AEDs from major manufacturers (Zoll, Philips, Cardiac Science, Stryker), First Aid Equipment (eyewash stations, stretchers, CPR masks), and First Aid Supplies (bandages, dressings, PPE). The company also operates volunteer community service programs including Therapy Dog visitation services, Medical First Responders for public events, and Emergency Response Units for disaster relief. The training and products work together as an integrated first aid safety ecosystem serving Canadian workplaces, families, and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program: A volunteer therapy dog program that brings comfort, joy and companionship to thousands of people throughout Canada, including hospitals, seniors residences, schools, and community centers.
• Medical First Response (MFR) Program
• Emergency Response Units (ERU)
• Canadian Youth Advisory Network (CYAN)
• Emotional First Aid Program

Products and services

• Standard/Intermediate First Aid

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000,000 community service hours provided by volunteers annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Subaru CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSubaru sponsors the SJA Therapy Dog Program and offers all Therapy Dog volunteers a $750 rebate on the purchase or lease of a new Subaru vehicle. This partnership supports volunteer recruitment and retention.
• Pet SmartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner logo displayed on SJA volunteer recruitment materials.
• Johnson InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity sponsor logo displayed on SJA volunteer recruitment materials.
• Basecamp ConnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner logo displayed on SJA volunteer recruitment materials.
• Mental Health Commission of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJA offers mental health courses in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, helping participants recognize and assist people experiencing mental health emergencies. Includes Mental Health First Aid Certification and Essentials courses.
• TEMA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEMA Foundation assisted in developing the Mental Health & Wellness Peer to Peer course to help workers recognize mental health injuries in colleagues.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• International Trauma Life Support (ITLS): International training organization offering advanced trauma and pre-hospital care certification courses that overlap with St. John Ambulance's Advanced First Aid and Medical First Responder programs for healthcare and first responder professionals.
• National CPR Foundation: Online-only CPR and first aid certification provider targeting the same individual and SMB course buyers as St. John Ambulance at lower price points, representing the digital/online threat to traditional blended training economics.

Direct peers

• Canadian Red Cross: The Canadian Red Cross runs a parallel national first aid and CPR training program competing directly with St. John Ambulance for the same workplace, individual, and institutional customers, and is the closest like-for-like competitor in Canada.
• St. John Ambulance Australia: Australian counterpart of St. John Ambulance offering the same first aid training, volunteer first aid services, and first aid product retail under shared Order of St. John heritage and standards.
• St. John Ambulance (UK): The original Order of St. John ambulance organization in the United Kingdom; operates the same training-plus-volunteer-services-plus-products model and shares brand heritage, curriculum standards, and product lines with St. John Ambulance Canada.
• Lifesaving Society: Canadian charity delivering first aid, CPR, and aquatic safety training through provincial branches; directly competes with St. John Ambulance in workplace compliance, swim instructor, and lifeguard certification markets.
• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: Co-issuer of CPR and AED guidelines in Canada and a major provider of CPR/AED certification courses, competing head-to-head with St. John Ambulance in the same healthcare professional and employer segments.

Others

• Medavie Health Services: Canada's largest private EMS provider operating ambulance and emergency health services across multiple provinces; comparable as a Canadian emergency medical services organization but commercially structured and not a direct training-market competitor.
• Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS): Ontario-focused workplace health and safety training and consulting provider that competes with St. John Ambulance for employer training budgets, particularly in WHMIS, TDG, and general workplace safety course categories.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: The US-based incumbent humanitarian organization offering overlapping first aid, CPR/AED, BLS, and aquatic training at significantly larger national scale; comparable in mission and product mix but operates in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASJQuebec
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKqDpzz1BjDqUgImjquTC7w
• Facebookfacebook.com/SJACanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-john-ambulance-canada-ambulance-saint-jean
• Instagraminstagram.com/sjacanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. John Ambulance