Greybrick,
I commend you on your desire to join a volunteer search and rescue team. It can be quite a rewarding endeavor, but also many hours of training along with "hurry up and wait" at missions. Canada has a very robust volunteer SAR community and I'm sure you'll locate a reputable local SAR team.
I'm the Asst Group Training Officer for my wilderness SAR team (SMRG) here in Northern Virginia with about 130+ members, you can follow the link in my signature for more info on our team. SMRG responds to emergencies anywhere in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware to conduct searches for missing persons or aircraft, and to carry out rescue operations in wilderness areas that require specialized equipment and techniques.
Our members receive extensive training in wilderness survival, land navigation, wilderness first aid, land/air evacuation methods, search and tracking techniques, radio communications, rescue and technical/steep angle rescue and rigging and other areas that are key to our operations. Training is conducted in both the field and the classroom, and the majority of sessions are administered at no cost to our membership.
Through our Outreach Program, we have agreements with many counties, as well as the National Park Service, to provide EMS and SAR services. We also assist race organizations be providing EMS support for their adventure races. We have teams on the Mall in Washington, D.C. providing EMS during the July 4 fireworks. Another team is deployed to the Shenandoah National Park to augment the park rangers with EMS/SAR over the July 4 weekend.
Any incident in which SMRG particpates must be under the command of a "responsible authority," generally a state, county or local law enforcement agency. After receiving notification of a wilderness emergency, the responsible authority contacts the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) if SAR resources are needed. With the broad authority to coordinate disaster management activities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, VDEM maintains the state's emergency plans for responding to natural and technological disasters. VDEM is also the initial coordinator for wilderness search emergencies within Virginia. Other states have similar agencies which also have the authority to dispatch SAR resources.
Once VDEM is briefed on the incident, it contacts the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference (ASRC). ASRC represents a coalition of several mid-Atlantic SAR organizations, each covering a separate area of the mid-Atlantic region. Through its member organizations, ASRC can mobilize over 400 trained volunteers in a response territory that stretches from southern Pennsylvania to the northern border of North Carolina. Based on the geography and type of incident, ASRC will dispatch some or all of its groups (including SMRG) to the scene. SMRG members, who generally follow the progress of a search from the time VDEM is notified, then assemble teams and travel to the incident location.
Once on scene, members of SMRG and other ASRC groups coordinate with law enforcement, EMS, and local volunteers to carry out the search effort. SMRG members generally work together in teams of 4-6 searchers, combing through wilderness areas in search of subjects or evidence of their wherabouts. Once located, subjects may require medical assistance and/or evacuation depending on the type of incident that has occurred. SMRG conducts both manual "carryouts" as well as assisting with helicopter-based rescues.
I searched around and found several links I thought might be helpful for you:
Directory of Canadian SAR Organization in Alberta
Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada
National Criteria for Volunteer Ground SAR (Canada)
Search and Rescue Association of Alberta
Calgary Search and Rescue
Lethbridge Area Search and Rescue Association
Parkland Search and Rescue Society
Sorry the post turn out longer then I expected. Good luck on your search for a local team and if I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.