Access to Healthcare

Healthcare delivery is a provincial responsibility, but land use, zoning, parking, and political pressure all sit with the municipality. Council has more leverage here than it has used.

Main points

• Study whether the City should run its own primary care clinic. One year of serious work gives either a real project or a definitive answer.
• Fight for the NRGH Patient Tower and Cath Lab. The hospital serves everyone between Victoria and Campbell River, and the Province has been promising the expansion for years.
• Lobby for a Mental Health and Addictions ER. The Seniors' ER works; a specialized intake is the next logical step.
• Rebuild the neighbourhood around the hospital. Zone for clinics, medical offices, and staff housing around NRGH.
• Bring back free street parking downtown and at the hospital.

Policy detail

Expanded policy detail for this pillar is forthcoming. Check back for a fuller discussion of municipal primary care precedents, NRGH capital advocacy, and medical neighbourhood zoning.