Ministry cites ‘significant, unsustainable cost’ of $1.8m a bed to justify long-term care homes delay

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —  Delays to several long-term care homes in B.C., including in Fort St. John, are due “significant and unsustainable costs” as high as $1.8 million per bed, says the Ministry of Finance. 

On February 17th, Brenda Bailey, finance minister, introduced her first budget which included delays to seven long-term care facilities in the province – one of which is in Fort St. John.

The long-term care facility in Fort St. John was going to be constructed on the site adjacent to the Fort St. John Hospital and linked to the Peace Villa. 

The facility was to have private single bedrooms and bathrooms, new social and recreational spaces and 84 new beds and a 30-space adult day program. 

According to the 2026 budget document outlining the service plan for the Ministry of Infrastructure for 2026/2027 – 2028/2029, the ministry is now yet to determine the targeted year of completion for this long-term care home, along with other projects in Campbell River to Abbotsford.  

The Ministry of Finance, in a written statement to Energeticcity.ca, said: “The Ministry of Infrastructure is conducting a review of the long-term care infrastructure program.” 

As a part of this review, the ministry is exploring approaches that include “standard design guidelines, modular construction options and other ways to deliver high-quality facilities in a faster and more cost-effective way,” to maintain safe and high-quality care for seniors. 

“The government is adjusting the timing of delivery for several approved projects pending this review,” it said. “Fiscal pressures require the government to make careful choices on its capital plan to maintain long-term stability.” 

The ministry says on average, it has seen a 35 per cent increase on 12 projects in three years. 

The province said it “is committed to expanding long-term care availability to meet the needs of the aging population.” 

“In fact, our capital plan maintains work on five long-term care facilities, which will create over 1,100 new beds,” it said. 

The facilities maintained in the province include Richmond, Nanaimo, Western Communities, St. Vincent and Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home. 

“For several projects we are experiencing significant and unsustainable costs,” the ministry said. “In some cases, the costs have increased to as high as $1.8 million per bed.” 

The ministry added that this figure is the highest cost per bed the province has experienced when designing and building long-term care facilities. 

It said: “The cost per bed is not the same for each build because it depends on factors such as regional construction and labour costs, project timing relative to inflation, procurement methods and the scope of work included in each project.” 

“By repacing some projects we can deliver long-term care homes now, and also ensure we are best positioned to meet the needs of B.C. seniors and their families in the years ahead,” it said.

The decision to delay infrastructure projects in the 2026 budget has received a lot of pushback. 

In an article by Canadian Press, Dan Levitt, a senior advocate, said: “It’s going to put pressure on the family caregivers, people who should be in the workforce, who are now caring for that senior. And it’s also going to create a situation where the seniors are not getting the kind of care they should be.” 

“[This] budget is an assault on seniors, working families and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said B.C. Conservative Party finance critic, Peter Milobar. 

Marc Lee, senior economist for Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said: “They definitely seemed to manage to p*ss off everybody.”