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By Victor Kaisar

Clearwater Helipad

District of Clearwater hoping to land grant for new helipad at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital

Mar 1, 2026 | 12:00 PM

CLEARWATER, B.C. — The push to build a new helipad at the Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital has taken another step forward as the District of Clearwater has applied for provincial grant funding that could pay most of the project costs.

According to a staff report, a Class B estimate pegged a total cost of $1,069,830 plus GST for the helipad project. That’s up from a previous Class D estimate which estimated the “probable cost of construction” at $694,350.

“The Class D estimate has dug into more nuances, geotechnical findings, tree removal and concrete availability – what it costs to get concrete shipped up here from Kamloops,” said Alsid Prime, the District of Clearwater’s director of corporate services.

“It’s primarily attributable to getting more information from additional engineers and including risk allowances and archeological assessments in the project cost.”

Prime said the District of Clearwater hopes to use money from the B.C. Air Access Program (BCAAP) to fund construction of the helipad. That grant could cover as much as 90 per cent of the total cost – a baseline funding share of 75 per cent for safety of flight, airside and environmental projects and an additional 15 per cent if Clearwater qualifies for the Remote Community increment.

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In 2024, the District of Clearwater was given $19,000 in BCAAP funding to complete a feasibility study and construction plan for the helipad.

“This has been an ongoing request dating back to when the hospital was built in 2004,” Prime said of the project. “The contractor we’re working with – GroundEffect Aviation – they were part of some of the earlier reports in 2009, 2013, 2015.”

“It’s almost a pet project for them and they’re hoping to see it get done finally because they’ve been coming at it so many times.”

Mayor Merlin Blackwell said the helipad will help improve the level of care at the Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital, as paramedics won’t be required to take patients to and from the facility.

“There are safety and health authority requirements for distance that you can move somebody outside without using an ambulance and this meets those requirements,” he said. “That is why it is in this location. There are lots of convenient places in the community for a helipad but this is why its here.”

“This has been a long time coming and I definitely think will be appreciated by everybody including industrial workers, forest workers and highway travellers.”

While the District of Clearwater is shouldering the costs to build the helipad, it will not be responsible for operations or maintenance. He also said the helipad won’t made available be for private use.

“We’re going to be working through the construction phase through an MOU and once its done and we can hand over the keys, full custody, maintenance and everything will be handed over to Interior Health,” Prime said.

“That would include the prior approvals for any additional contractors. It would be up to their discretion for air operators.”

As an example, Prime said contractors that may be allowed to use the helipad could include heli-ski operators or the BC Wildfire Service.

“Say a heli-ski operator has someone coming in injured and they would like to stabilize the patient at Dr. Helmcken, they can radio in for those approvals and land there in those scenarios,” Prime said. “If we’re talking about BC Wildfire or an industrial contractor that needs to utilize it for a lift operation, those would still go though Interior Health for approval.”

“To be clear, if Jeff Bezos wants to land there with his helicopter, those sort of private things are not foreseen in this operating model,” Blackwell added.