Edmonton Journal

Liam Newbigging

Mon, December 8, 2025 at 3:28 p.m. MST

4 min read

Their mission — safely deliver a VIP to the hospital’s rooftop helipad, with his cargo in tow.  

It was good flying in the chilly skies above Edmonton, as the Royal Canadian Airforce’s 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron raced toward the Stollery Children’s Hospital in a CH-146 Griffon helicopter Monday morning. 

A group of children watched a live broadcast of the squadron, and saw the operation unfold from inside a hospital playroom. 

The VIP, a jolly man in a red suit with a white beard, faced the camera and waved a white-gloved hand at his audience.  

Santa Claus was on his way to the Stollery. 

“He’s pretty used to flying operations,” said Lt.-Col. Taylor Hall, who is the commanding officer for the squad. 

Hall is also used to flying with Mr. Claus — having flown on similar missions — but he says this was his first time doing it in Edmonton. As someone who grew up in Alberta and as a former University of Alberta student, he knows the territory well.  

“I used to walk by the Stollery Hospital every day going to the U of A, watching the helicopters in and out,” Hall said.  

Jill Painter, with the Stollery’s Child Life team, was on the rooftop helipad when the squadron touched down. She’s been with the hospital for 17 years, and says her team works to help manage stress and bring some fun for the children at the hospital.  

Santa’s visit was part of that same work. For around eight years now, the holiday icon has been paying a visit to the Stollery, via helicopter, to spend time with some of the children and bring gifts. 

“The hospital can be a really hard place to be at Christmas,” Painter said. “As child life specialists, we try to make it as fun as it can possibly be.” 

Painter says it’s special when people from the community help. When she saw Santa Claus come out of the helicopter, she said she almost started tearing up.  

Back inside, the kids were still watching the broadcast.

Six-year-old Asr Khan was especially excited and sat eagerly watching the screen. When the group was asked where Santa was heading, he cheered, “the Stollery!” 

His mother, Margie Khan, said her son has been at the hospital for a few weeks now getting treatment related to his leukemia. The Stollery has been very helpful, she added. 

“Everything we need, we get it.” 

The room was filled with smiles and wide eyes when Santa and his escort walked in. Asr waved both hands at Mr. Kringle and smiled. He was the first to get a gift, a plushie toy shaped like a piece of toast.  

After gifts were doled out, Brendan Ritchie, another patient, said it was great to see Santa, and that spirits were lifted.  

Ritchie is hoping to get back to school soon and graduate this year. Right now, he’s waiting for a lung transplant for a rare condition he’s been battling now for 13 years.  

He says he enjoys seeing the kids get excited about Santa.  

“For someone who’s older, like me, it’s cool seeing them get excited. It makes me really, really happy.” 

Painter agrees. She says the event is one of her favorites, and she loves watching the children’s faces light up.

Santa’s yearly visit to the Stollery also comes as the hospital is set to get it’s biggest gift in years — a new standalone facility, albeit not in time for Christmas.

A site on the University of Alberta’s south campus was selected in November and the hospital has launched a campaign to help raise $1 billion for the new facility. 

Planning work for the new facility is expected to be completed by 2026, although it could be more than eight years until construction is finished.

The Stollery opened in 2001 and is currently the second-largest children’s hospital in the country. It has an annual patient volume of more than 300,000 children from across Western Canada, including 55,000 emergency visits and 12,000 surgeries.

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