Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar (left) and Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone (right) (Image credit: CFJC Today/File photo).

By Michael Reeve

KAMLOOPS CANCER CENTRE

Kamloops MLAs cautiously optimistic after cancer centre announcement

Feb 8, 2024 | 7:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — “I would expect all those details will be in the business plan, I expect 2027.”

That was the timeline for a new Kamloops cancer centre promised by Health Minister Adrian Dix back in 2023. On Thursday (Feb. 8), the minister announced the cancer centre will now open in 2028.

“Happy to hear it’s being announced and being moved forward,” responded Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar. “Very concerned about the timelines. We have already seen it from the spring being [set for] 2027 to now 2028. No real money it sounds like in the budget until after the next provincial election. [It’s] another, ‘Just trust us. We are going to build it,’ type scenario.”

That also has MLA Todd Stone nervous as he awaits a shovel in the ground next year.

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“Disappointed that timing is being pushed out again. Not convinced that it will be open in 2028. Frankly, we hope it would be sooner than that,” said Stone, MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson. “In terms of what we would do, we would do everything we can to accelerate the timetable to get this thing built and open sooner.”

In November, Dix responding to a question in the legislature mentioned a PET-CT Scanner for Kamloops.

“The only PET-CT scanners that existed when I became minister of health, Honorable Speaker, was in Vancouver. We’ve added in Kelowna and Victoria. We are adding in multiple other communities as we add cancer centres in Nanaimo and in Kamloops and in Surrey and in Burnaby, Mr. Speaker,” said Dix on November 28, 2023.

When asked about that statement on Thursday, the minister said a PET-CT is not currently in the $359-million plan.

“There is not one planned for Kamloops cancer centre yet, but we are also looking at expanding this technology across the province. But it’s not part of this plan,” clarified Dix.

“It’s not in the plan. And there is one going into the Kelowna cancer centre,” stated Stone. “We think that the time to put the state-of-the-art technology that the people of Kamloops and the region deserve would be when you are actually building the centre from scratch. But again, the minister said one thing only months ago and a different thing is happening today.”