Lung Cancer Screening Programs by Province
Key takeaways
Four provincial agencies describe a working lung screening program on their own pages: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. Their age ranges run from 50 to 74 or 55 to 74, and each program assesses risk before booking a scan. Other provinces are listed only from a national 2023-24 review, and the territories had no program at that time.
Lung cancer screening is not offered the same way everywhere in Canada. Some provinces run a program with a phone line and a nurse who checks your risk. Others are still planning, and the territories had nothing running when the national review was written. Because programs open clinic by clinic, a rule that was true last year may have changed. We re-read these pages every quarter and note the date next to each one.
Screening here means a low-dose CT scan for people who have no symptoms. If you have a cough that will not go away, chest pain or blood in your phlegm, that is a different path and needs a medical assessment. Our page on lung cancer symptoms lists the warning signs.
Program status by province and territory
All provincial pages below were read on 13 November 2026. Where we could not read a provincial page, the row says so and relies on the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) review for 2023-24. That review is a snapshot, so use those rows as a starting point and confirm the current rules with the program.
| Jurisdiction | Program status | Age | Smoking history | How to enrol | Source read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | BC Cancer describes a Lung Screening Program | 55 to 74 | Significant history of regularly smoking commercial tobacco, now or in the past | Call 1-877-717-5864 or 604-877-6274 for an eligibility assessment | BC Cancer, 13 Nov 2026 |
| Alberta | Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program, accepting participants | 50 to 74 | Currently smoke, or quit after smoking for many years (page example: 1 pack a day for at least 15 years) | Online self-assessment, provider referral, or 1-866-727-3926 option 4; a primary care provider is required | Screening For Life, 13 Nov 2026 |
| Saskatchewan | LungCheck, phased rollout starting in Swift Current | 50 to 74 | Smoked commercial tobacco daily for 20 or more years, not necessarily in a row | LungCheck at 1-833-571-5864 | Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, 13 Nov 2026 |
| Nova Scotia | Lung Screening Program in Central and Eastern Zones | 50 to 74 | Daily smoking for at least 20 years, including people who have quit | Call 1-833-505-LUNG (5864) or ask a health care provider to refer you | Nova Scotia Health, 13 Nov 2026 |
| Ontario | Ontario Lung Screening Program, partially implemented (CPAC 2023-24) | 55 to 74 (CPAC) | Daily cigarette smoking for at least 20 years (CPAC) | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
| Quebec | Demonstration project, pilot (CPAC 2023-24) | 55 to 74 (CPAC), under review | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Pilot project begun March 2024 (CPAC) | 55 to 74 (CPAC) | Smoked for at least 20 years (CPAC) | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
| Manitoba | Planning for implementation (CPAC 2023-24) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
| New Brunswick | Planning for implementation, target 2025 (CPAC) | To be determined (CPAC) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
| Prince Edward Island | Planning for implementation, target 2024 (CPAC) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
| Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | No current lung cancer screening activities (CPAC 2023-24) | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not confirmed | CPAC only |
How the confirmed programs work
Meeting the age and smoking criteria is the first step. In Saskatchewan the agency says not everyone who meets the criteria will be eligible for the scan, and a risk assessment decides. BC Cancer says a risk assessment over the phone is needed to confirm eligibility. Nova Scotia Health says about half of the people who call are not found to be at high risk and are not offered a scan.
BC Cancer and Nova Scotia Health say screening is for people with no symptoms. Alberta asks you to have a family physician or another primary care provider, such as a nurse practitioner. Nova Scotia accepts calls from residents and also takes referrals from a health care provider.
Saskatchewan’s program is new enough that the agency describes it as a phased rollout, beginning with one clinic in Swift Current. If you live elsewhere in the province, call LungCheck to ask whether it has reached your community.
The national guideline for comparison
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care published its lung cancer guideline in 2016. It recommends annual low-dose CT screening, up to three consecutive times, for adults aged 55 to 74 who have at least 30 pack-years of smoking and either smoke now or quit less than 15 years ago. The provincial programs above use years of smoking and a risk calculator instead of a fixed pack-year number, which is why the starting age and the smoking rules differ. Our lung screening eligibility checker explains how to work out pack-years.
What we could not confirm
We could not read the official pages of the following agencies on 13 November 2026, so their rows rely on the CPAC review for 2023-24 and may be out of date.
- Ontario Health: the page returned an access error. Age and smoking rules in the table come from CPAC. Enrolment steps are not confirmed.
- CancerCare Manitoba: the site was unavailable. We do not know whether LungCheck has launched or what its criteria are.
- Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador: no provincial page was read. Current status, enrolment steps and, for several, the smoking rules are not confirmed.
- Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut: only the CPAC statement that no screening activities were running at the time of the review.
- British Columbia: the page does not give a pack-year or smoking-years figure, so we have not stated one.
Talk to a doctor
Whether screening is right for you depends on your age, smoking history, health and other lung conditions. A family doctor, nurse practitioner or the program nurse can go through that with you. If you smoke, they can also point you to quitting supports, and our page on what smoking does to the lungs shows why that matters. For the wider picture, see the list of cancers linked to smoking.
Health information is general and educational. It does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or nurse. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Does every province have an organized lung cancer screening program?
No. The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer's 2023-24 review found one fully implemented province-wide program, five partial programs and four jurisdictions still planning. We read the provincial pages for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia; the other provinces are listed from that review only.
Can I sign up for lung screening myself?
It depends on the province. Alberta and Nova Scotia list a program phone line, and Alberta also offers an online self-assessment. BC Cancer lists numbers for an eligibility assessment. Saskatchewan's LungCheck is rolling out clinic by clinic. Check the program page for your province.
Why do the age ranges differ between provinces?
Each program sets its own criteria. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia say 50 to 74, and BC Cancer says 55 to 74. The Canadian Task Force's 2016 guideline also uses 55 to 74, with at least 30 pack-years. Most programs then run a risk assessment, so meeting the age and smoking rules does not guarantee a scan.
Should I wait for a program in my province before talking to a doctor?
No. If you smoke or used to, a family doctor or nurse practitioner can explain your options and whether screening applies to you. Anyone with symptoms such as a cough that does not go away or coughing up blood needs a medical assessment, which is separate from screening.
Sources
- Who Should Screen (Lung) — BC Cancer. Accessed November 13, 2026.
- Lung Screening — BC Cancer. Accessed November 13, 2026.
- Get Screened (Lung) — Screening For Life (Alberta Health Services). Accessed November 13, 2026.
- LungCheck — Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Accessed November 13, 2026.
- Lung Screening — Nova Scotia Health. Accessed November 13, 2026.
- Lung cancer screening in Canada, 2023-24: Programs — Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Accessed November 13, 2026.
- Lung cancer screening in Canada, 2023-24: Guidelines — Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Accessed November 13, 2026.
- Lung Cancer (2016) — Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Accessed November 13, 2026.