COLUMN: Welcoming more health-care workers to Interior B.C.
Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Something I hear from people all the time, whether it’s in my constituency office or in my meetings with local leaders and people across the province, is how incredible nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals are in our local communities, especially when it really matters.
However, we also know that our already incredible health-care workforce is stretched, and that people are experiencing challenges with wait times and with accessing primary care across the province.
There’s no doubt that we need more health-care workers in our communities, and that’s why last year, Premier David Eby and the B.C. NDP launched a targeted recruitment campaign to attract more health-care workers to our beautiful province from our neighbours in the United States.
One year later, there’s a lot to celebrate. With over 400 U.S. trained health professionals and counting having accepted job offers in every corner of the province, we’re seeing our share in Interior Health, too.
I’ve had conversations with local Interior Health representatives, and it’s great news that just one year into our recruitment campaign we’ve accepted applications from 26 new physicians, 42 nurses, four nurse practitioners as well as allied health professionals to work in Interior Health. Across the province, health professionals whose experience ranges from primary care, mental health, pediatrics and emergency medicine will help strengthen our health-care system.
With incredible mountain views, lakes, rivers and unique landscapes, people, and communities across the Interior, I have no doubt that we’ll be able to attract even more health-care professionals to Interior B.C., whether from the U.S. or elsewhere. Something we’re so good at here in Kootenay Central is welcoming people to our communities with open arms.
We know this isn’t a silver bullet and that our health-care system is still feeling strains. We’re continuing to work hard to improve primary care in all corners of the province. I’m happy to be hearing from people regularly who are being connected to a primary care physician or nurse practitioner through the HealthConnect Registry, and there’s more to come.
In addition to attracting more health-care workers, we’re also training people here at home. In September, SFU’s school of medicine will welcome its first cohort of students, making it the first medical school to open in western Canada in 60 years. This builds on seat expansions to other training programs, like 18 new seats that were brought to the Licensed Practical Nursing program at Selkirk College in 2023.
Last month I was able to visit Kaslo Community Services, who through their House Next Door campaign, which the province was able to contribute $250,000 to, have purchased an additional building to expand their services. I was also able to meet with multiple local health-care workers, including a physician in Creston.
I cannot express my gratitude to health-care workers enough, and I’m looking forward to meeting any new ones joining us here in the Kootenays and across B.C.
Brittny Anderson is MLA for Kootenay Central.