Photo: KTW File
Josh Dawson – Jun 17, 2024
TWO BIDS FOR CANCER CENTRE
The Ministry of Health says it will spend a year evaluating two submissions it received after issuing a request for proposals for the $359-million cancer centre project at Royal Inland Hospital, with the goal of starting construction next year.
In a news release, the ministry said it will be evaluating submissions from EllisDon Corporation and PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.
Interior Health and BC Cancer are expected to choose the project’s design-build team by May 2025, with construction beginning in the summer of 2025.
“I’m pleased that the procurement phase for this project is proceeding to the next stage, and people in Kamloops and Thompson Cariboo area will be one step closer to having cutting edge, comprehensive cancer care and treatment that’s close to home,” said Adrian Dix, minister of health.
Dix told reporters Monday afternoon the centre is still slated to open for patients by 2028.
The cost of the centre will be split between the province and the Thompson Regional Hospital District. Dix said the inflation seen in private sector and public sector construction has been taken into consideration and is reflected in the project’s budget.
“We believe we’re on the right track in this project,” Dix said.
“The cost is significant, but also the priority is significant as well and I think what it does is, in Kamloops, it increases our ability to recruit as well.”
According to the ministry, the new cancer centre will be a five-storey facility built on the Westlands site of Royal Inland Hospital.
The ministry said there will be space for radiation treatment, radiation-therapy planning including a CT simulator, an outpatient ambulatory-care unit, 10 exam rooms and two consultation rooms for radiation-therapy services, an additional MRI suite, and patient arrival and check-in areas.
A 470-stall parkade will also be built as part of the project. The centre will have three linear accelerator vaults as well — heavy, concrete structures that contain radiation equipment used for treatment.
In collaboration with Indigenous partners, the centre will also include spaces for patients, caregivers and staff, with features to support traditional ceremonies.
Upgrades to RIH to expand cancer care have also been approved, including updating and expanding the pharmacy and relocating and expanding the community oncology network clinic from the eighth floor to the main floor, allowing for more space and improved access.
The centre will deliver cancer care through oral and intravenous cancer treatment, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and hormonal therapy.
The ministry said the clinic will also provide initial consultation and treatment planning with a medical oncologist, supportive care, followup care and patient education.
The entire project — which includes the cancer centre and a related RIH renovation — is pegged at $359 million. The Thompson Regional Hospital District has committed $45 million to the project.
