British Columbia cancels key contracts tied to Burnaby Hospital’s redevelopment, drawing criticism from local leaders and raising concerns about healthcare capacity in a rapidly growing community.
A promised project to add an additional 160 beds to an aging hospital is in limbo.
“We’re essentially left with half a hospital and no new beds,” said Kristy James, president and CEO, Burnaby Hospital Foundation.
The B.C. government has announced that Phase 2 of Burnaby Hospital’s redevelopment has had its construction contracts cancelled.
The project which has already seen tens of millions of taxpayer dollars poured into it will no longer be progressing, seemingly without explanation.
“We were blindsided when we found out the contract had been terminated, and were still looking for answer as to why, we don’t know why,” said James.
The province has repeatedly said the project is not cancelled but instead that the timeline will be “re-paced” due to cost escalations.
“Now with a termination of contracts and no start date, it sounds like a cancelation to us.”
Officials say this hospital hasn’t seen a significant upgrade since the 1970s or an increase in beds since the ‘80s leaving a fast-growing community without a clear plan to expand care.
“Our city needs this hospital it needs it right now; it doesn’t need to wait any longer, we’ve been promised this hospital for a long time,” says Mike Hurley, the mayor of Burnaby.
“It has obviously left the community, myself, my board, the staff here, all shaken, upset, and disappointed,” said James.
Burnaby isn’t the only community affected by the province’s “re-pacing.”
According to Fraser Health, three new long-term care homes in Delta, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack also had their construction contracts cancelled.
Conservative MLA, and infrastructure critic Misty Van Popta says this is going to create even more lag ina system that’s already falling behind.
“We’re still trying to determine if they’ve cancelled the four other ones in Kelowna, Fort St. John, Campbell River, and Squamish,” said Van Popta.
With no timeline, no active contracts, and no added capacity on the horizon, patients and staff are left waiting, as pressure on workers inside the hospital continues to build.