Minister Dix in Kamloops announcing the Cancer Centre business case, Feb 8 (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

KAMLOOPS CANCER CENTRE

‘That is not acceptable’; Hospital district chair frustrated by absence of Kamloops cancer centre in budget

Feb 23, 2024 | 6:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — After a successful business case was announced on February 8 from the atrium of Royal Inland Hospital, the 2024 provincial budget was devoid of any mention of a Kamloops cancer centre.

“Frankly, I don’t put a lot of stock and faith into (Health Minister Adrian Dix’s) words,” said BC United Finance Critic and Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar Friday (Feb. 23). “I want to see it in black and white writing in a budget with a timeline with actual dollars identified. $359 million is a very significant spend. We should have seen significant dollars in any of the next three fiscal years that this budget actually presented.”

The reasoning behind the omission, according to ministry staff, is that the centre missed the printing deadline to be included.

“This project is well underway and although business plan-approved projects are generally listed among the province’s capital expenditures for projects greater than $50 million, due to print cut-off deadlines the Kamloops cancer centre is currently omitted,” read an emailed response to CFJC News.

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“It’s one excuse after the other,” retorted Milobar. “It was supposed to be open in 2024, then 2027, then 2028. Now it’s not even in the budget, which means there are no substantive dollars identified anywhere in the fiscal plan over the next three years for something that is supposed to be open in 2028. And we’re told, ‘It’s a printing error. Don’t worry about it — you’ll see it in the updated document.'”

For the chair of the Thompson Regional Hospital District, the delay means he doesn’t expect to see anything concrete until early next year.

“I can suggest I don’t think we will see it in 2024. I think this will be an early 2025 update,” said Mike O’Reilly. “Again, which is leaving thousand of thousands of people who are needing cancer treatment who are going to Kelowna in the dark yet again for another year, another nine months. That is not acceptable.”

The latest question mark in the future of cancer care in Kamloops confirmed to O’Reilly why the board is investing $75,000 into advocacy.

“This is a prime example why. We are not looking for announcements, we are not looking for ministers to come here and talk about this is what’s coming up — we are looking for shovels in the ground. But what we do know as a board is that the voices of hundreds of thousands of people in the regional district advocating for the cancer centre are a heck of a lot stronger than 31 of us,” said O’Reilly.

The Ministry of Health did state that the cancer centre would appear in the first quarter fiscal update. According to Milobar, that is not guaranteed in an election year.

“Well in fact, the first quarter update is not until mid-September, which is seven months from now. And secondly, in an election year, under the Budget Transparency Act, Section 10.5, they don’t actually have to present a fiscal update right before an election because the writ will be dropped somewhere around the 14th to 21st of September,” stated Milobar.

With no money currently in the budget for the next three years for the centre, it’s unclear if the promised 2028 opening date remains on track.