A Vancouver Island hospital board is mulling a move that would result in a tax increase for nearly 170,000 residents between southern Nanaimo and Bowser.
The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board wants to start putting money aside for a new patient tower for Nanaimo’s hospital that comes with an estimated price tag of $450 million.
According to a recent report, the hospital board is considering an idea that, if approved, would see property owners in the Regional District of Nanaimo pay an extra $34 per $100-thousand dollars of assessed value starting next year.
The report also says a higher tax increase now will result in lower and less drastic tax increases in the future.
“It’s a case of our population in Nanaimo, the Regional District of Nanaimo and central Island overall just growing so quickly over recent years,” said Ian Thorpe, chair of the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board.
“There’s a greater demand for services in our hospital and part of that potentially we’re hoping will lead to a second patient tower.”
The tower’s estimated cost of $450 million does not account for inflationary pressures before construction is projected to start in 2030 and the province has said it will cover 60 per cent of the costs, but not the entire project, leaving the rest to be covered by taxpayers.
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According to a recent RDN staff report, taxpayers in the RDN’s hospital district are paying less than those in nearby hospital districts.
The head of the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation says while the foundation supports getting new equipment, an expansion is also needed.
“We know of course that this hospital needs to have improvements all the time and a new tower has been needed for several years now so as a Hospital Foundation we endorse whatever Island Health and whatever the government wants to do for our community,” said Janice Perrino, the Foundation’s chief executive officer.
The hospital board committee, which is made up of RDN directors, has yet to vote on the proposed increases.
“That will be of course a decision for the directors to make and I also know quite honestly there’s a difference of opinion on the board so I’m sure there will be good debate on that,” said Thorpe.
Earlier this year the Nanaimo’s Medical Association asked for an expansion of services at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
In October the NDP promised a cancer centre for the Nanaimo hospital.
Kendall Hanson
