Editors note: Shortly after this story was published, BC NDP Leader David Eby promised that, if elected, an NDP government would build a new patient tower at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The answers from local NDP candidates on that question were received before that promise was made.
“Delivering better health services in Nanaimo is good for people here and all over the central and north Island,” Eby said in a statement. “We are building a new cancer care centre right here and I’m committing today to continue improving access to quality health care in this community with a new tower for the hospital.”
The Conservative Party of BC followed by promising that the tower would also be built under a Conservative government and days before the election its platform included a promise for a cardiac catheterization lab.
Conservative Leader John Rustad announced that his government would build a cath lab during a press conference outside the hospital on Wednesday Oct. 16.
The Discourse asked readers what issues are important to them in the provincial election ending on Oct. 19 and health care ranked right at the top with 84 per cent of respondents in Nanaimo identifying it as a priority.
While the main parties have not released fully-costed platforms as of Sept. 26, they are all talking about health care and what their plans are to improve it for British Columbians.
Two big local health care issues are the lack of a cardiac cath lab and a replacement for the aging tower at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Earlier this month, hundreds of people packed the gym at Beban Park Social Centre for a rally by the Fair Care Alliance demanding that provincial political parties commit to building those two crucial pieces of hospital infrastructure.
Conservative Party of BC, the BC Green Party and Independent candidates signed pledges at the event in support of those two demands, while the BC NDP did not attend the event.
The Conservative Party of BC is running on a promise to put “patients first” with a new model of single-payer universal health care that “delivers care through both public and non-governmental facilities.”
The Green Party is promising to introduce what it calls the “Dogwood model” for primary care, which would establish a network of community health centers across the province to“provide every resident with a ‘primary care home,’ ensuring accessible, team-based, longitudinal care.” .
The BC NDP is touting its record in office, stressing the province has hired 800 new family doctors and 6,300 nurses in the last year. It also claims to be building new hospitals at “a record rate” with 29 new and expanded hospitals, cancer care centres, long-term care homes and 38 Urgent and Primary Care Centres.
Responses from candidates have been lightly edited for grammar. This story will be updated if we receive responses from other candidates.
Here are the questions we asked:
Will you commit to building a new tower at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital? If so, when will it open? If not, why?
George Anderson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Lantzville
We’re facing some big challenges. We want B.C. to be a place where health care is always there when you need it. David Eby is taking action to train and hire more doctors, nurses and other health-care workers than ever before, and he won’t stop until the job is done. David and I are committed to strengthening health care in Nanaimo and Lantzville. I’m looking forward to even more conversations with people in our community in the coming weeks about how to meet our local health care needs.
Gwen O’Mahony, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Lantzville
The Conservative Party of BC candidates in the Nanaimo and Oceanside ridings publicly signed the Fair Care Alliance’s pledge to advocate for a new hospital tower and cath lab. This is our commitment to our constituents and we will honour our promise.
Lia Versaevel, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Lantzville
Absolutely, and not in ten years! This needs to be a priority for our rapidly expanding and aging population. The current tower doesn’t even have air conditioning. How can we incentivize health-care professionals to work in such an archaic facility? This should have been a priority eight years ago, but not one dollar has been committed to this project by the NDP yet. This has been a priority from more than 70 per cent of the people I have spoken to in Lantzville and Nanaimo. People are struggling to maintain their health and need to travel unrealistic distances to access services.
Shirley Lambrecht, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
A resounding yes to the new patient tower. It is estimated to be a ten-year process from initial requirements gathering to design, engineering, construction, and complete outfitting to have a patient tower built, staffed, and put into production. Having worked with teams of engineers for decades, and with advancements in technologies, I suspect that the ten-year window may be shortened without cutting corners. A project plan would need to be developed and certified. As your MLA, I would be hitting the ground running on day one to secure agreement from our legislature to commence this project.
Sheila Malcolmson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
People I have spoken to in Nanaimo-Gabriola have shared with me the importance of health-care investments in B.C. David Eby is taking action to train and hire more doctors, nurses and other health-care workers than ever before. We are making progress. David and I are committed to strengthening health care in Nanaimo-Gabriola, we have seen unprecedented investments in people, building systems back up, and there is still more work to do together.
Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
Yes, I have actively supported the Fair Care Alliance since I became a candidate in the provincial election. I have been advocating publicly daily for a new patient tower at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. We are fully committed to making this a reality for our community. It’s estimated to be a project worth $2 billion and a 10-year project; we must start immediately.
Will you commit to opening a cardiac catheterization lab at the Nanaimo Regional Hospital? If so, when will it open? If not, why?
George Anderson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Lantzville
People deserve to access health care where and when they need it. Once the new cancer care centre opens, it will save people hours of travel by getting their treatments in Nanaimo instead of having to travel to Victoria. We can’t afford to let Rustad slash health care like he did before. Rustad’s cuts and cancellations would put the cancer centre in Nanaimo and other projects like it at risk. The BC NDP is committed to strengthening health care for people across the central Island, no matter which community they call home.
Gwen O’Mahony, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Lantzville
See above.
Lia Versaevel, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Lantzville
Yes, I publicly signed the Fair Care Alliance’s pledge to advocate for a new hospital tower and cath lab. We need to re-prioritize the $85 billion the province is currently running on, bringing services to people instead of special interests and corporations. This needs to happen within a two-year time frame, if not sooner. This lab is an essential service and must be prioritized as such.
Shirley Lambrecht, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
Another resounding yes to the catheterization lab! We would need to know a project timeline from initial requirements gathering to design, engineering, construction, and complete outfitting to have a cath lab built, staffed, and put into production. Again a project plan would need to be developed and certified. A time-to-service estimate, based on a similar project constructed elsewhere, can be prepared. As your MLA, I will be lobbying all members of the legislature to support and fund this initiative.
Sheila Malcolmson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
Residents of Nanaimo-Gabriola and surrounding areas will have greater access to care with a new intensive care unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The new Cancer Care clinic at the hospital will house a CT simulator, PET/CT diagnostic scanner and an oncology ambulatory care unit with 12 examination rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists. David Eby will continue to take action to deliver better health care for people in Nanaimo-Gabriola.
Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
Yes, we must have a catheterization lab; it is a matter of life and death. I have been told a temporary or mobile Cath lab can be set up in three months until a permanent one is created. We will ensure this is part of our commitment to investing in health care in our region and supporting fair care in our community. I am grateful for all the hard work the alliance and the community have marshalled.
How will you increase access to family doctors and primary care in Nanaimo?
George Anderson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Lantzville
Health care is one of the top issues I hear about from people. Just this July, the BC NDP invested in creating another urgent primary care centre in Nanaimo to help support people who need regular access to health-care services, as well as attaching more people to a primary care practitioner through the BC Health Connect Registry. Working with the primary care network for the community, we are consistently recruiting doctors, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals. At the current pace, we’re on track to connect every British Columbian through the Health Connect Registry by the end of 2025.
Gwen O’Mahony, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Lantzville
Under the current system, many physicians feel unheard and demoralized. We’re listening and that’s why we released our comprehensive health-care platform well ahead of the writ drop and before any of the other parties. A BC Conservative government will expand access and end wait times, provide direct funding to the front lines, stop ER closures, reward rural and remote health-care workers, protect and support frontline staff with a zero tolerance policy on illicit drug use in hospitals, repeal Bill 36 and update and modernize health-care technology.
Lia Versaevel, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Lantzville
We are training health-care professionals in B.C. but not requiring them to stay in the province unless they are going to rural areas. Nanaimo is a rapidly growing area and we also need to provide the option of hospital-owned housing so that people do not need to commute unreasonable distances on top of working long hours. This housing would not be in the form of “man camps” but rental or long-term leased adjacent housing, so that people can live, work and recreate locally. We must ask doctors and health-care students to commit to staying in the province to work when they are accepted into our universities.
Shirley Lambrecht, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
By adopting the Dogwood Model as detailed in a recent media release by our BC Green Party leader, Sonia Furstenau, the province would be creating and funding an integrated multidisciplinary health centre in each of the 93 ridings with expanded health services and medical specialties including mental health care available within each centre. Practicing physicians would have the option to practice within this model. Additional funding would be allocated to increase staffing levels which are far below what is needed to service current patient loads. Physicians and health-care practitioners would be focused on practicing medicine rather than administration and management.
Sheila Malcolmson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
We all want people in our community to get the health care they need and we’re seeing signs of progress — like connecting 300 thousand more people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner. We announced three new ambulances to serve Nanaimo and surrounding areas, as well, median surgical times are down 15.7 per cent on the Island versus wait times under Rustad’s government. We also made the ambulance station on Gabriola Island a 24/7 service with eight full-time positions and paramedics based at the station at all times so that people can get emergency help when they need it most.
Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
We will invest in creating education and training opportunities for doctors in BC and make policy changes that attract doctors to the province. Bill 36 will be repealed, which creates significant barriers for doctors who want to work here. We will remove the administrative burden which doctors experience and hire back thousands of health-care professionals who lost their jobs due to the mandates created by the NDP. We must invest in our hospitals and doctors to motivate them to work here.
How will you reduce overdoses from unregulated street drugs?
George Anderson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Lantzville
There are very few people in our community who don’t know someone impacted by the toxic drug crisis, and the BC NDP has been steadfast in our commitment to provide support and treatment services for those facing the challenges surrounding addiction. We have opened 30 treatment beds in Nanaimo and 20 treatment beds in Lantzville. Additionally, Nanaimo will soon have another 273 supportive housing units added and we are launching a Foundry centre to provide mental health and addiction support to young people in the community. These investments will give further support to those most vulnerable in our community.
Gwen O’Mahony, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Lantzville
The current harm reduction model is not working. In fact, it’s causing harm to the individuals trapped in an endless cycle of addiction, to the family members desperate to get their loved ones into treatment and to the communities devastated by the rise in crime and destruction linked to out-of-control addiction. We must do better. Recovery is possible. A BC Conservative government will shift from an enabling system to treatment focused which will include voluntary and involuntary treatment.
Lia Versaevel, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Lantzville
Safe injection sites and having access to testing substances and supplies works to keep people alive. Many people die alone, as they use alone. The removal of vending machine access at the hospital was a reckless and irresponsible choice. Nobody is learning how to use drugs by having access to these facilities. They can learn this on YouTube or from other users. Education, compassionate care and models such as the peer counseling models in Prince George do work to save lives. Police need to be supported in laying charges against suppliers of street drugs, and working with mental-health professionals also helps first responders to effectively do their work.
Shirley Lambrecht, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
Regulating the administration and use of safe supply drugs, expanding accessibility of safe supply to the 98 per cent who currently do not have access and by collecting data so we can study and continue to evolve drug treatment best practices. Addressing housing accessibility and expanding support services will contribute to the safety and wellbeing of the unhoused and addicted as well as contribute to safer communities for everyone. The Village project in Duncan, with an estimated 18 per cent reduction in crime in the neighborhood, is a testimony to how housing initiatives can offer shelter, wraparound support, and safety.
Sheila Malcolmson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
We all want to feel safe in our communities; it is important to take action to defend people against predatory drug dealers so they can stay alive and get treatment. We are working with the police to take action to fight drug trafficking and prosecute those responsible. David Eby and our BC NDP government have opened more than 650 new treatment beds across B.C. and are continuing to build new treatment facilities across the province so that more people can get the help they need.
Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
We will repeal the decriminalization of drugs and stop the drug handouts which the NDP have implemented. We will stop funding crack pipes and cocaine-snorting kits. We will focus on support, treatment and rehabilitation for addicts. We will crack down on drug dealers and criminals. We will provide more support for police and ensure criminals face the consequences for their crimes and get them off the street. We will ensure an appropriate treatment level for those who need it.
What is your overall plan to improve health care in Central Vancouver Island?
George Anderson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Lantzville
In this past year, major investments have been made to support the people of Nanaimo–Lantzville, including adding more than 300 long-term care beds in Lantzville, opening a new ICU space at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, building a new high-acuity wing at [the hospital] to open in 2025 and investing in a new cancer care centre at [the hospital] to ensure that people who need treatment do not have to travel to Victoria. These investments are helping people get the care they need, close to home. I am committed to working with David Eby to build on these investments and strengthen health care in Nanaimo.
Gwen O’Mahony, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Lantzville
See #3
Lia Versaevel, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Lantzville
Incentivizing health-care professionals to live and work here is a priority. We need to provide affordable housing and shorter commute times for people. We also need a system where we encourage people to maintain their health to every extent possible, through adequate nutrition and shelter and life-long health-care services. Knowing how to access important services such as 811 and 988 for suicide prevention, the Kid’s’ Help Line 1-800-668-6868 or text at 686868 is important. While access to health-care professionals is important, everyone can learn ways to maintain health and use first aid including CPR. These courses should be free for anyone wishing to take them.
Shirley Lambrecht, BC Green Party, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
My plan is to commit budget to expanding and upgrading our health-care facilities, increase funding and expanding public health services from the current 6 per cent of the budget, increase staffing, adopting a more strategic delivery model such as the Dogwood Model, funding research and adding services for women’s health care, seniors’ health care and mental health care and expanding the delivery of culturally appropriate care. I believe in an ounce of prevention over a pound of cure. I advocate for keeping people out of hospital when possible and giving physicians the needed time to source root causes of illness in patients as opposed to 10-minute treatment windows to apply seemingly expedient Band-Aid solutions to symptoms.
Sheila Malcolmson, BC NDP, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
People are going to get the care they need close to home. We’ve invested over $700 million in new and expanded health-care services at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, including an Intensive Care Unit, a MRI [lab] now running 24 hours a day, an endoscopy unit and expanded heart function clinic. More is on the way, starting with a second urgent primary [care centre], a cancer centre, 309 long term care beds and an acuity unit to open in 2025. I am committed to working with David Eby to build on these investments and continue to strengthen health care for Nanaimo-Gabriola.
Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC, Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
We will ensure funding is directed to the front lines, not the enormous bureaucracy created by the NDP. We have announced our Patients First model: Universal healthcare for everyone under a single-payer system that delivers care through public and non-governmental facilities. We are committed to implementing significant health-care system reform to expand access to care, end long wait times and help British Columbians get a family doctor (currently 1 million are without one). We will stop the ER closures, protect and support front line staff, address health-care workforce retention and recruitment issues and create a modern, transparent and accountable health-care system.
Editor’s note, Oct. 9, 2024: This story has been updated with answers from Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC candidate for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island. Answers for all candidates were edited for style and length for fairness, as they were given 100-word limits for their responses.
