Breast prosthesis funding in Canada, province by province
What each province pays toward a breast prosthesis, what you need to claim it, and the important difference between the prosthesis and the bra.
A breast prosthesis is expensive, and most provinces will help pay for it. What they cover, and how you claim it, varies a great deal depending on where you live. Here is the current picture, province by province. Figures are in Canadian dollars and were current in mid-2026, and programs change and many are indexed each year, so confirm the amount with the program before you buy. This is a guide, not official advice.
First, the prosthesis and the bra are treated differently
Most programs fund the prosthesis itself, the breast form, and not the mastectomy bra, though a few provinces add a small bra allowance. Taxes work the same way: the Canada Revenue Agency treats a prescribed breast prosthesis as an eligible medical expense, but not the mastectomy bra. You may see a store describe the bra as tax-deductible, but that is not the CRA's position. Keep your prescription and your itemised receipts either way.
Ontario
The Assistive Devices Program pays $195 toward one breast prosthesis, or $390 for two after a bilateral mastectomy, and $105 or $210 for partial forms, once every two years. You buy the prosthesis first, then submit the ADP form with your receipt and the ministry reimburses you. It does not fund mastectomy bras.
Quebec
The RAMQ external breastforms program reimburses $536 for a full breastform and $316 for a partial one, per breast every 24 months, indexed each January. You buy from a Quebec business and claim online, and processing takes roughly fifty working days.
British Columbia
Fair PharmaCare covers up to $450 per side for a mastectomy prosthesis and $350 for a lumpectomy prosthesis, every two years. Your fitter submits for pre-approval, and what you actually receive depends on your income-based deductible.
Alberta
Alberta Aids to Daily Living funds full and partial prostheses with a 25 percent client cost-share, capped at $500 per family each year, roughly every three years. Seniors 65 and older and low-income clients are exempt from the cost-share. No physician prescription is required, and a certified fitter assesses eligibility and bills the program.
Manitoba
The Manitoba Breast Prosthesis Program, run through CancerCare Manitoba, offers two options: up to $400 per prosthesis every two years with up to $70 toward a bra, or up to $800 every four years with up to $140 toward bras if the prosthesis carries a longer warranty. The approved store bills the program directly, and a prescription is required.
Nova Scotia
The MSI Breast Prosthesis Program pays up to $300 per prosthesis every two years, with extra support for lower incomes: up to $450 in total plus up to $75 toward a bra for households under $30,000 a year. It is billed through the retailer, and a prescription is required.
New Brunswick
A provincial prosthetic program covers a prosthesis and one bra every two years, but eligibility is narrow, largely social-assistance clients and certain health-card holders rather than every mastectomy patient. Most others rely on private insurance, so it is worth confirming your status with Social Development.
Prince Edward Island
Health PEI provides an initial prosthesis and an adapted bra for eligible residents. Confirm the current details and value directly with the program.
Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the territories
There is no provincial prosthesis funding program in these places at present. Residents rely on private insurance or on the Canadian Cancer Society's free breast accessory service.
Private insurance and the national fallback
Many workplace and personal health plans cover part or all of a prosthesis, and sometimes bras, usually after the provincial program has paid, and you then claim the balance. You will need a doctor's prescription stating the diagnosis and the item required, along with itemised receipts. And if cost is a barrier, the Canadian Cancer Society offers free breast accessories, including foam forms and mastectomy bras, across the country.
If you have not been fitted yet, our guide to your first fitting after surgery walks through what to expect, and you can find a boutique with certified fitters near you.