Project Lifesaver was established in April 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office in Virginia.

In 2005 Ontario Provincial Police Constable Jacquie Winand-Bacon was searching for assistance due to the challenges she experienced caring for her Alzheimer's Disease-afflicted grandmother; Vera McNair.

Thanks to Jacquie's research and efforts, in 2005 Ontario Provincial Police Emergency Response Team (ERT) officers from the Essex County OPP became the first Canadian law enforcement officers trained in using the Project Lifesaver equipment. Under the leadership of then Essex County OPP Detachment Commander Inspector Rick Derus and now Inspector Glenn Miller, the program steadily expanded. Sgt. Mike Whitelaw now oversees Project Lifesaver within the jurisdiction of the Essex County OPP.

In 2019, members of the Windsor Police Service received their official training in operating the Project Lifesaver equipment and are now responding to calls involving missing Project Lifesaver clients in the City of Windsor. Staff Sergeant Ed Armstrong is the Officer-in-Charge of the Program for the Windsor Police Service.