Mayor says long-term care home delay has ‘immediate, tangible consequences’ in open letter

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John has penned an open letter addressing the postponement of the city’s new long-term care home. 

According to a release, the city wrote a letter that is addressed to the government of British Columbia, the premier, the minister of finance, minister of health and Northern Health. 

This comes after Brenda Bailey, B.C.’s finance minister, tabled her first budget on February 17th which delayed the construction of several long-term care homes, including the one in Fort St. John. 

It had originally been announced in June 2025, when provincial minister of infrastructure, Bowinn Ma, said it would be constructed on the site adjacent to the Fort St. John Hospital and linked to the Peace Villa. 

The Ministry of Finance said the delays to projects like the one in Fort St. John are due to “significant and unsustainable costs” as high as $1.8 million per bed. 

In the letter written by Lilia Hansen, mayor of Fort St. John, on behalf of the city council and residents, she expressed concern about the postponement. 

She called the facility a cornerstone of seniors’ care in Fort St. John and the broader North Peace region. 

This expansion is required to address the existing pressures and anticipated future demand for long-term care and assisted living, the post reads. 

She added that the postponement has created concern among seniors, families and caregivers who rely on the availability of appropriate care close to home. 

She said: “The postponement of an approved project at this stage has introduced uncertainty for residents and families who have been planning around its anticipated delivery and for the community systems that depend on that capacity.” 

The Peace Villa is operating at full capacity with more than 70 people, including seniors, remaining in hospital waiting for long-term care placement, Hansen wrote in the letter. 

“The delay of the expansion therefore has immediate and tangible consequences not only for seniors and their families, but also for hospital capacity and the broader healthcare system serving the North Peace region,” she said. 

To read the full letter, click here.