The Port Hardy hospital is getting a major overhaul, and it’s starting this summer.
This afternoon, provincial Health Minister Josie Osborne announced the hospital will be getting $45 million in improvements immediately, including an expansion to the emergency department and ambulance canopy.
“During my visit to Port Hardy last month, I heard clearly from hospital staff, physicians and community leaders like Mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt and [Mount Waddington Regional District] Chair Andrew Hory about how important this hospital is — not just as a place of care, but as a cornerstone of the community,” she posted on her public governmental Facebook account. “This upgrade reflects that importance and helps ensure the hospital can continue to meet the needs of the region for years to come.”
The improvements will also include an Indigenous health office, spaces designated as “sacred” and “culturally safe,” five new long-term care beds for seniors, and improvements to the maternity delivery suite.
“This should help to recruit and retain frontline staff needed to have ER access 24/7 in Port Hardy Hospital,” said North Island MLA and Official Opposition Health Critic Anna Kindy on her public governmental Facebook account.
Alex Nataros, one of Port Hardy’s few resident doctors, was also pleased by the announcement.
“Good news for our community. Public pressure works,” he said on social media. “Hopeful for re-opening the Port Hardy emerg 24/7 as well.”
Nataros moved to Port Hardy from the Comox Valley in 2022. Since then he has lobbied for improved health care services on the North Island, and has battled with the Island Health authority’s managers on multiple occasions. His acrimonious conflict with Dr. Ben Williams, the health authority’s chief medical officer, came to a public head when Nataros had his emergency room privileges suspended for a short period in early 2023.
Nataros maintains it was punishment for his continued attempts to challenge management to fix problems in Port Hardy. Williams published a long statement explaining his reasoning, citing a complaint about “safety” as the reason for his decision. The matter hasn’t come up again, and in 2023 Nataros started the North Island Community Health Centre with four other doctors to provide services that the hospital could not.
According to the province’s official announcement page, “construction is anticipated to start in summer 2026.”
It does not clarify which improvements will be done first.
The total anticipated project cost is $45 million, including $39 million from the Province, $5 million from Island Health and $1 million from the Regional Hospital District of Mount Waddington.
For more information about what services the expansion will provide, visit the province’s official announcement page.
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