B.C.’s health minister tours northeast hospitals amid service interruptions

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — B.C’s health minister toured the northeast over the long weekend, visiting hospitals and health centres and meeting with local politicians. 

Over the Labour Day long weekend, Minister of Health Josie Osborne visited northeast B.C., touring several Northern Health-operated facilities in the Peace River region. 

Northern Health discussed the tour in an August 28th website post and a September 2nd Facebook post. 

Between August 27th and August 29th, Osborne visited the Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa, the new Dawson Creek and District Hospital construction site, the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre and the Mîýomâcihêwi Kamik or Northern Nations Wellness Centre. 

Osborne’s tour concluded at the Chetwynd General Hospital and Health Centre and the Hudson’s Hope Health Centre. 

“Minister Osborne’s visit to the northeast reflected the province’s commitment to strengthening rural health care, supporting community-led initiatives, and engaging directly with those shaping the future of health services in the north,” Northern Health stated. 

During her visit, Osborne met with local politicians including Peace River South MLA Larry Neufeld, representatives from Saulteau First Nations and the mayors of the City of Dawson Creek, the City of Fort St. John, the District of Chetwynd, the District of Tumbler Ridge and the District of Hudson’s Hope. 

This visit comes after the region’s Northern Health-operated medical facilities surpassed 530 hours of closures so far in 2025.

In a statement to Energeticcity.ca on August 7th, Northern Health said it was continuing to try to improve stability in emergency rooms and mitigate closures. 

“Emergency department service interruptions are always a last resort, when all options to keep the ER open have failed,” the health authority stated. 

Energeticcity.ca reached out to the Ministry of Health for comment, but did not hear back before publication.