Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board members honed in on accelerating construction of a cardiac catherization lab at Nanaimo hospital during a board meeting this week. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

health planning

Nanaimo hospital board votes to fund cardiac care construction

Dec 11, 2025 | 5:28 AM

NANAIMO — Frustrated with delays in specialty health care advancements at Nanaimo hospital, local governors are willing to fully fund a priority capital project.

Establishing a much-discussed cardiac catheterization lab as part of future envisioned upgrades at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital spawned impassioned discussions at a meeting this week.

Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) members unanimously endorsed a motion crafted by Lantzville Mayor Mark Swain to provide up to $50 million to build the cardiac care service at the facility.

He said he’s concerned to see Island Health’s draft 10-year capital project pushed the cath lab back to 2030.

“That is troubling,” Swain said. “I think if this board wants to do something that’s impactful to its commitment to the health of people in this region, we move on this today.”

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Swain’s motion was unanimously endorsed at the Tuesday, Dec 9 NRHD meeting.

He said the NRHD is effectively loaning up-front construction costs.

“…Where does that happen? And that’s troubling, but it’s necessary.”

The board’s share of capital projects at NRGH is 40 per cent, which has thrusted significant regional tax increases over the last several years.

Replacing the original six-storey patient tower at NRGH, open since 1963, represents the other big-ticket priority project for the NRHD.

Island Health currently envisions its portion of capital funding for the hospital tower to start in 2029.

Swain’s motion tied the board’s cath lab pledge as part of the patient tower project.

Fair Care Alliance, which advocates for primary healthcare service improvements for the central and north island areas, was represented at Tuesday’s meeting.

The organization’s chairperson, Donna Hais, told NRHD members advocating for the cath lab and patient tower are not opposing conversations.

“This conversation, it’s not one or the other, it’s a tertiary campus of care that we need and we’re fighting for all of those programs,” Hais said.

She reported cardiac care on the mid-Island is “going backwards”, noting NRGH has been reduced from two to one cardiologist.

Building a cath lab and patient tower were election campaign promises made by Premier David Eby during a stop in Nanaimo while vying for votes, however both initiatives have not been budgeted since.

Eby went as far to declare a business plan was about to begin for the patient tower while addressing reporters in October of last year in Nanaimo, five days prior to general election day.

“We’ll be beginning the planning immediately with the doctors and nurses of the hospital which is called the business plan process to plan out all of the services…” Eby said at the time.

At Tuesday’s meeting, NRHD members approved its 2026-2030 provisional budget.

The 2026 budget, at this point, calls for a 21 per cent increase for regional property owners between Cedar and Bowser to improve capital health projects throughout the region.

Estimated NRHD taxation costs for a home valued at $830,000 next year is $534.04

The NRHD 2026-2030 budget must formally be adopted by the end of next March.

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