Tofino regroups after province rejects hospital replacement proposal
Published 5:30 am Friday, February 6, 2026
The District of Tofino is looking to change the province’s mind after the ministry of infrastructure rejected their proposal for a hospital replacement project.
At the Nov. 19 regional hospital district meeting, Island Health representative Jesse Tarbotton told the board of directors the province asked for revisions to the ambitious plan. The plan was initially submitted to the province in May of 2024 and was supported by the health authority.
The proposed new hospital would be a “campus of care” approach, including things like long-term care and hospice care which aren’t provided by the current Tofino General Hospital.
The province is more interested in a replacement that would not create new services at the Tofino Hospital and only include the basics like emergency room care.
Tarbotton said he’s hoping to get specific information around budget and parameters in the near future.
Tofino Councillor Tom Stere said he first became involved with a hospital replacement proposal in 2017 and is deeply frustrated by the province’s decision.
“I am troubled by the fact that the ministry of infrastructure was not here and they’re making service-level decisions based on costs, not need,” he said. “Their lens is through costs without the expertise in service levels especially (in) something like health care. That’s been clearly demonstrated by this decision here.”
Stere said the ministry should be presenting to the board on why they made the decision they did.
Sproat Lake director Penny Cote said she’s been on the ACRD board for 21 years and they’ve been talking about the Tofino Hospital that whole time, adding the province is leaving the region out in the cold while other parts of B.C. get expensive new healthcare projects.
Long Beach ACRD director Vaida Siga said she’s heard a lot about aging in place being a priority for the province.
“Having had to be a caregiver out on the West Coast, I had no help with bathing, with any activities, care. The closest option I would’ve had was to go to Port Alberni and they absolutely did not have any spaces available,” she said. “When it came time for placement my husband had to go to Delta. That is an entire day out of my life to go visit him. So if you are serious about aging in place you better take another look at the services that could be offered through the hospital in terms of supporting people who are aging in place and their access to supportive care.”
Siga called cutting back on senior and hospice care unacceptable and unconscionable.
At the Jan. 28 ACRD board of directors meeting, Tofino asked the ACRD to convene a mayors, chiefs and chairs meeting across the region to talk about the hospital replacement.
Cote suggested a meeting at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) conference in April would be the best time to get those leaders together.
Alberni Councillor Debbie Haggard, who is the regional hospital district chair, and ACRD board Chair John Jack both said they would support Tofino in any way they can on the hospital replacement moving forward.