The Delta Hospital and Community Health Foundation is asking Premier David Eby to provide some clarity on the future of the already-under-construction long-term care centre to replace the aging Mountain View Manor.
The new facility — which the foundation is partially funding — is one of seven long-term care centres in B.C. whose status is up in the air following the release of this year’s provincial budget on Feb. 17.
The budget no longer lists a completion year for the Delta facility or other long-term care projects in Abbotsford, Campbell River, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Fort St. John and Squamish.
Instead, it says the government is “adjusting the timing of delivery” of the projects “to incorporate the lessons learned from projects already underway and from it’s ongoing review of the long-term care infrastructure program.”
On Monday, Feb. 23, Delta Hospital and Community Health Foundation released a letter signed by board chair Andrew Jackson and CEO Lisa Hoglund requesting clarification regarding the construction timeline for the new long-term care centre in light of last week’s provincial budget announcement.
Jackson and Hoglund’s letter notes early site work is “well on its way,” with $15 million spent on the project to date.
As announced in 2023, capital costs for the Fraser Health owned-and-operated Beedie Long Term Care Centre — a 200-bed “care community” that will also house a 32-space adult day program and an innovative stand-alone 49-space child care facility — are being covered by $179.7 million from the Ministry of Health, supported by $18.25 million raised through the Delta Hospital and Community Health Foundation’s “Coming Home” campaign, the organization’s largest-ever fundraising effort.
Jackson and Hoglund’s letter says the need for the project has “only grown more urgent” since it was announced, and that “the people of Delta, especially seniors and families, are depending on its timely delivery.”
“The foundation, our donors and our volunteers are deeply committed to supporting this project. To date, donor support has committed to contribute over $18 million specifically toward the LTC project,” the letter states.
“This is a powerful demonstration of our community’s belief in the importance of high-quality, accessible long-term care in Delta.”
Noting the tens of millions of dollars raised by Deltans over the years to strengthen local health care and support the province’s system-wide health priorities, Jackson and Hoglund are requesting Eby provide updated information and clarity regarding the construction timeline, current status, and next steps for the long-term care project.
“Our donors, stakeholders and community members are eager for assurance that this essential project remains on track and that Delta continues to be recognized as a priority within the provincial planning framework,” their letter states.
“The Delta Hospital Campus of Care supports all of Delta and Tsawwassen First Nations, as well as surrounding communities. Statistics show that our site is increasingly being relied on for health-care services. This is putting added pressure on our site. Delta is a growing community, and our citizens deserve clear communication, transparency and timely action.”
The Reporter reached out to the Ministry of Health for information about the project’s status, and the paper’s interview request was forwarded to the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Tuesday afternoon, the paper received an emailed statement attributed to Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma saying that, despite the fiscal challenges, her government is committed to continuing to build the long-term care homes that communities need.
“I understand that community members may be disappointed with the re-pacing of the long-term care home in Delta. Like other governments across Canada, we are facing fiscal pressures that require careful choices to protect the services people rely on and maintain long term stability,” the minister said.
Ma said recent years have seen costs skyrocket, with some project estimates coming in at $1.8 million per bed.
“We cannot deliver new beds at the scale that they are required when taxpayers are paying these kinds of rates to build a single room in a facility. That’s why this work to take a step back and rework our plan is so important, to make sure we can sustainably deliver the projects that communities need,” Ma said.
“Although this work will affect the timelines of the long-term care project in Delta, I want to assure residents that this project continues to be a commitment we intend to move forward on.”
Ma acknowledged the need for more long-term care beds, before saying her ministry is “exploring approaches like standard design guidelines, modular construction options, and other ways to deliver high quality facilities in a faster and more cost-effective way.”
She also said the Ministry of Health is working with interest-holders to advance a “new and more feasible” funding model.
“We need to take some time to do this important work and that’s why we’re adjusting the timing of delivery, so we can deliver more long-term care beds with more cost efficiency moving forward,” Ma said.
The Reporter followed up to ask whether the project’s budget is likely to change, or if province will stand by its previous commitment of $179.7 million. We also asked whether the scope or scale of the project likely to change — things like the number of beds or inclusion of the adult day program and/or stand-alone child care facility.
In response, the paper received a statement by email, attributed to the Ministry of Infrastructure and not the minister, saying the ministry is working with Fraser Health to “determine next steps” and will share more information once it is available.
The Reporter asked again for an answer to our questions, but did not hear back prior to the paper’s print deadline.
Last week’s budget announcement is the second time in five months that the government has pushed back estimated completion of the new Beedie Long Term Care Centre.
In mid-September, Finance Minister Brenda Bailey provided the first quarterly report since release of the government’s 2025 budget. Included in that report was a table of capital expenditure projects over $50 million listing their planned year of completion, cost to June 30 of that year, estimated cost to complete and total anticipated cost, as well as how those projects are being financed.
While the cost of the project (listed in the report as “Delta Long-Term Care”) had not changed, the project’s completion date was pushed from 2027 to 2028 “to align with revised project schedule.” Early work at the site had already begun and, as of June 30 of last year, $4 million had been spent on the project.
Mountain View Manor opened in 1977 and currently serves 92 residents. The new facility would more than double capacity and offer a modern, home-like environment focused on small “households” accommodating 12 or 13 residents, each with their own single-bed room and bathroom, according to a Ministry of Health press release.
These units would also feature social and recreational spaces found in a typical home, such as a living room, dining room, activity space and access to the outdoors. There would also be community spaces and services for residents, families, visitors and staff, including art and activity rooms, a hair salon and a sacred space.
The adult day program (to be named in recognition of the the Delta Hospital Auxiliary Society’s $3-million donation in January of 2024 — a record amount for the auxiliary and one of the largest donations ever made by a hospital auxiliary in B.C.) and standalone childcare facility aim to foster opportunities for intergenerational programming.
Named in recognition of Ryan and Cindy Beedie’s $5-million donation (the largest in the hospital foundation’s history), the Beedie Long Term Care Centre is being built on Fraser Health-owned vacant land next to Delta Hospital. Construction was originally expected to be complete in 2027.
— with files from Lauren Collins and Mark Page