North wellness society eyeing Site C workers camp as future addictions centre

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local wellness society is looking to acquire BC Hydro’s Site C workers camp to bring a mental health and addictions facility to the northeast. 

During the June 19th regional board meeting, the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) board of directors reviewed a letter from the North Wind Wellness Centre Society about the Site C worker accommodation facility. 

Specifically, the society asked for the board’s support in acquiring the facility, as it hopes to turn it into a Centre for Excellence in Mental Health and Addictions. 

“This transformative initiative would address critical healthcare gaps in northeastern British Columbia while creating substantial economic and social benefits for the Peace River region,” Isaac Hernandez, the society’s executive director, wrote to the PRRD.

The regional directors had raised concerns about the future of the Site C camp during a March meeting, expressing frustration at the possibility of it being destroyed rather than repurposed. 

At the board’s May meeting, a letter from BC Hydro was reviewed which stated the utility had received a “high level of interest” from third parties in acquiring the camp.

In the June 19th meeting, the directors discussed the project and agreed they needed more information about the project before writing a letter of approval. 

The directors voted to request the society attend a future PRRD meeting as a delegation to provide more information on the project, such as where it will be moved to and other pertinent details.