Tofino Mayor Urges Province to Reconsider Scaled-Back Hospital Replacement Plan

The District of Tofino is asking the provincial government to reconsider its decision to scale back a proposed replacement for the community’s aging hospital, arguing the current plan does not reflect the region’s health-care needs.

Mayor Dan Law says the existing hospital, built in 1954 to serve a population of roughly 400, is no longer adequate for a region that now includes approximately 2,500 Tofino residents, nearby Ucluelet, and several surrounding First Nations communities.

The original proposal envisioned a modern “campus of care” that would not only replace the aging building but expand services along Vancouver Island’s west coast. The plan included long-term care and hospice beds, as well as seismic upgrades to meet current safety standards.

“The hospital has to be replaced — and not just replaced — but replaced in a way that meets the existing and future needs of our community,” Law said.

However, shortly before Christmas, the Ministry of Infrastructure rejected the proposal in its current form. According to a November report presented to the Regional Hospital District Board by Island Health representative Jesse Tarbotton, the province indicated it would only consider a replacement that maintains existing service levels, rather than expanding them.

Tarbotton described the original project as “quite ambitious,” noting it reflected the needs expressed by clinical staff and the community. Although the plan received approval from the Island Health board of directors, final authorization rests with the province.

Concerns about access and sustainability

Law argues that limiting the replacement to existing services is short-sighted.

With current capacity constraints, residents frequently travel outside the region for specialized care. In some cases, he says, families relocate entirely due to limited access to services such as labour and delivery or hospice care.

“People need to be able to be born here and die here with dignity,” Law said, describing those services as fundamental — even in rural communities.

The mayor believes the shift in oversight may have contributed to the setback. Originally prepared for the Ministry of Health, the proposal was later transferred to the Ministry of Infrastructure after the province enacted the Infrastructure Projects Act, which streamlined delivery of major public projects including hospitals and schools.

Law says the community’s case may not have been fully understood under the new review framework.

Next steps

Law confirmed that Josie Osborne, B.C.’s Minister of Health and MLA for Mid Island–Pacific Rim, has invited him to meet in Victoria to discuss the issue further.

The mayor hopes to assemble a delegation that includes coastal leaders and Indigenous representatives to advocate directly to provincial officials.

In a statement, the Ministry of Infrastructure said staff are working with Island Health to refine the hospital replacement proposal.

The ministry said it aims to ensure the project “meets the needs of patients and is a sustainable investment that can provide reliable service to people in the community for years to come.”

For Tofino officials, the goal remains clear: securing a hospital replacement that reflects both the realities of today and the needs of the next generation.