Air handlers and furnaces aren't typically found in the same home in Edmonton. If you have a furnace, you most likely won’t need to consider an air handler.
Air handlers are frequently used with heat pumps and control airflow throughout your house. Some models also have extra heating and cooling components to help the heat pump.
A furnace works in a different way by blowing heated air into your vents, which move it across your house. Since furnaces have combustion chambers to create hot air, they don't need some of the components you'll find in a standard air handler.