By Jill Sperling

Provincial election creates uncertainty for future of RIH redevelopment

Nov 25, 2016 | 3:40 PM

KAMLOOPS — The $80 million Clinical Services Building was a huge expansion to Royal Inland Hospital, but as far as the B.C. Liberals are concerned the work is far from over.

Premier Christy Clark has committed to a second phase of the redevelopment of RIH: a new patient care tower. However, the future of the project may depend on the results of the provincial election.

While in Kamloops Thursday, Nov. 24, Clark said the patient care tower was a top concern for the city, but she doesn’t believe her opposition feels the same.

“The NDP said they wouldn’t do phase one in the last election, and now they’re saying they might not do phase two in this election,” Clark said. “We have done phase one, and we are going to get phase two underway. We want to get that done too because it’s really important for this community and for the whole region.”

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Kamloops-South Thompson NDP candidate Nancy Bepple said facilities that meet the needs of the region are important, but there are other pressing issues.

“30,000 people in Kamloops don’t have a doctor,” Bepple said. “One in 10 people in B.C. that doesn’t have a doctor is here in Kamloops, and we can’t forget that. That is so important to the people in Kamloops.”

According to Clark, improvements to the hospital could be a step in the right direction for ending the doctor shortage.

“First of all, having a great hospital is the best way to attract better healthcare, and more healthcare professionals,” Clark said. “We’ve seen that in every community where we’ve really built out world class hospital facilities.” 

The patient care tower will likely come with a big price tag, and the NDP candidate for Kamloops-North Thompson, Barb Nederpel, expressed concerns about its financial impact on Kamloops residents.

“The patient care tower was to be $400 million, now it’s going to be $500 million,” Nederpel said. “Already, under Peter Milobar as mayor he’s announced that there’s going to be an increase in property taxes to pay for that, and we haven’t even broke ground yet.”

The Liberals are promising to keep costs down, and Health Minister Terry Lake said the ministry is currently going over the numbers.

“The business plan has been submitted to the ministry, so our folks in the ministry are going over it now,” Lake said. “It will go to treasury board for final approval. The premier has been clear, MLA Stone and I have been clear that this is going to happen.”

If everything goes as planned, the Liberals could see their vision of the new tower become a reality in the next 5-6 years.

“We’re clear, we’re committed to Royal Inland Hospital, and I’m as confident as anyone can be that we’re going ahead with that,” Lake said.