Grand Forks to Cover Medical Clinic Costs in Bid to Attract and Retain Doctors

The City of Grand Forks has launched a one-year pilot program that uses municipal tax dollars to help recruit and retain family doctors, stepping into a role typically managed by British Columbia’s provincial health system.

City council has approved $125,000 to help cover fixed operating costs at the local medical clinic, including rent, utilities, insurance, and licensing fees. The goal is to reduce the financial burden on physicians and make practicing in the rural West Kootenay community more sustainable.

Grand Forks’ move comes as many communities across B.C. continue to struggle with access to primary care. While the province has introduced new payment models and recruitment initiatives, gaps remain — particularly in smaller and rural communities — leaving municipalities to search for local solutions.

“It shouldn’t fall to municipalities to have to do this,” said Mayor Everett Baker. “But unfortunately, in the situation we’re in today, it does require it.”

A local response to a provincial challenge

Grand Forks, home to roughly 4,100 residents, has seen several doctors leave in recent years. City officials say the medical clinic was at risk of being left with only a small number of physicians, some nearing retirement.

The pilot program was developed in collaboration with local doctors and is designed to reduce the financial risk of operating a medical practice in a rural setting. When physician numbers decline, the remaining doctors must absorb a larger share of the clinic’s fixed costs, making the practice less appealing to new recruits.

“Whether there’s one physician working in a building or ten, rent, insurance, and utilities still have to be paid,” said Dr. Mark Szynkaruk, a family physician who worked with the city to design the program.

Szynkaruk said those costs can deter early-career doctors, many of whom are managing student debt and hesitant to take on additional financial uncertainty.

The consequences of inaction, he said, are serious.

“Patients are suffering. Morbidity and mortality are a direct result of poor access to primary care, or no access at all,” Szynkaruk said, noting that gaps in family medicine can also increase pressure on emergency departments.

A province-wide issue

The situation in Grand Forks reflects broader challenges across British Columbia. Other municipalities, including Colwood in the Greater Victoria area, have experimented with hiring doctors as municipal employees to address shortages.

A 2025 resolution from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities warned that rural and remote communities face chronic difficulties recruiting and retaining physicians, leading to understaffing, excessive workloads, and frequent emergency room diversions. The resolution called on the province to reassess physician recruitment and compensation programs, arguing they have unintentionally worsened shortages in smaller centres.

Early signs of progress

City officials say the pilot program is already showing promise. Dr. Gary Sandhar has recently joined the Grand Forks medical clinic and has begun taking over patients from a physician who left the community. Two additional practitioners are expected to decide later this year whether they will relocate to Grand Forks.

If fully staffed, the clinic could support up to 7,500 patients, serving not only Grand Forks residents but surrounding communities as well.

Mayor Baker said the program will be reviewed after one year to determine whether it should continue or be adjusted.

“My goal, as mayor, is that if you’re a resident of Grand Forks, you will have a family doctor,” he said.