The redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital is long overdue. The business and health care case for redeveloping Burnaby Hospital now is clear. This is the priority health care project in the province. This is the right thing to do.
Those are not my words. That was the exact message from the provincial government in September 2019. Burnaby Hospital opened in 1952 when our city’s population was 58,000. Four years later it was 84,000. In 2021 we had almost 250,000 people in Burnaby with it projected to rise to 360,000 by 2050. In all that time the same hospital remains, while also providing care to 80,000 residents in East Vancouver.
All in all, Burnaby Hospital currently serves more than 500,000 people, a number soon to rise to 700,000 with a patient increase of nearly 60% expected by 2036. BC’s current acute care average is 1.46 beds per 1,000 population while Burnaby’s is 0.58 today and projected to be 0.41 in 2032. That’s compared to 2.9 in Vancouver and 1.0 in Surrey.
Yet somehow in last month’s BC Budget 2026, the provincial government decided to remove Burnaby Hospital from the active capital construction schedule, relegating it to a budget addendum. This means no construction funding within the current three-year capital plan and no new timeline for such. All despite Phase 2 of the project having already received Treasury Board approval for $1.7 billion in 2023—the Province’s highest level of financial authorization for major capital projects.
The current provincial deficit is one of the largest British Columbians have faced—and we understand the Province has difficult decisions to make. However there was a clear commitment here and it is unacceptable for the trust to be broken like this.
For Burnaby to have fallen down the list of priorities, as the third-largest city in BC, with a hospital treating almost 10% of the province’s health care recipients, our residents and partners are quite rightly furious. We have three key asks:
1. We need a clear reaffirmation that the Province remains fully committed to delivering Phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment
Phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital Redevelopment has been “re-paced,” with no explanation for what that actually means for the future of the project. Is Phase 2 deferred, or is it no longer being actively advanced, and what criteria or rationale underpins that status?
Until the Province explains what “re-pace” means, confirms its intention and gives a clear commitment—the broken trust in this project cannot be restored.
More than $20 million has already been raised through community philanthropy, made in good faith and specifically for Phase 2, including major contributions from McCarthy Properties, the Beedie family and many other donors. They did so believing the Province’s stated commitment to deliver a modern hospital capable of serving Burnaby’s rapidly growing population.
The City of Burnaby has also done its part, committing $5 million to the redevelopment. Municipalities do not typically invest directly in provincial hospital infrastructure, but Burnaby did so to ensure this long-promised expansion could move forward. At this point, community partners, donors, and local government have all honoured their commitments. The Province has not.
2. We need a new public completion date for Phase 2
To keep momentum alive, we need a publicly confirmed construction start date for Phase 2 and even more importantly, a new completion date.
Construction costs continue to rise sharply—by 7 to 8% per year. If re-pacing is intended as a cost-saving measure, the outcome is the opposite. We've already seen how delays driven by provincial pacing decisions have added to costs across multiple capital projects, including Burnaby Hospital. Phase 1 was originally targeted for completion in 2023, with Phase 2 to follow by 2027.
Burnaby’s growing population is aging, and health care needs are becoming more complex. This is an urgent project. At the same time, the Province has mandated aggressive housing targets. At a minimum, growth must be supported by health care that can meet present and future demand.
Our health care workers and first responders continue to provide exceptional care, but they deserve modern facilities to do their jobs effectively. This re-pacing also has an impact on projected job creation in construction and health care. Updated infrastructure is essential to attract top health care talent to Burnaby.
A modern, fully built Burnaby Hospital is critical to attracting any business, particularly in life sciences and advanced health-related sectors that seek opportunities to collaborate with leading medical facilities. Employers considering Burnaby and the region look closely at health care access for their workforce and investment in infrastructure in the city.
3. We need confirmation that Phase 2 will proceed as originally approved
It is essential that Phase 2 proceeds exactly as originally approved, with no reduction in scope and no loss of planned inpatient beds. Maintaining the full, approved bed count and clinical program is fundamental to meeting longstanding regional health care needs.
The redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital was deliberately planned in two phases to allow construction to proceed while the hospital remained fully operational. Phase 1, which officially opened to patients earlier this month, was largely a replacement of existing capacity rather than an expansion to address Burnaby’s long-term capacity gap.
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Phase 2 was always intended to be the growth phase of the project—designed to deliver a new 160-bed inpatient tower, expanded medical imaging, critical and high acuity care units, cardiac telemetry, oncology services, and additional diagnostic and support space. It also includes demolition of the outdated West Wing and further emergency and endoscopy renovations, allowing the hospital campus to function as a fully integrated, modern health care system. In addition, the inclusion of an integrated BC Cancer Centre is non-negotiable, ensuring local access to cancer treatment.
We are working closely with our local MLAs, who will be seeking clarity and firm commitments from the Province in the coming weeks while the Legislative Assembly is sitting and Budget 2026 is being examined and debated. This is the period when ministers are required to respond to questions on the public record, budget decisions can be scrutinized, and priorities can be clarified openly in the Legislature rather than through closed-door processes.
There was no advance notice to the community, donors, municipal partners, or hospital advocates that the status of this vital project might change. That lack of communication has only added to frustration among key partners, many of whom had already raised concerns about earlier delays and a lack of transparency. Trust and momentum have taken a real hit.
Ultimately, everyone involved wants the same outcome: a fully delivered hospital redevelopment that meets the region’s needs. Moving forward it is essential that all partners—the Province, local government, health care leaders, donors, and the community—are at the table together, working collaboratively on the path ahead.
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