Hospital budget proposed to increase 28.2% for RDN residents

Nicole Knowles

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder

The Board for the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) has approved a provisional 28.2 per cent budget increase for 2025.

If the increase stays in place, it will put the tax requisition for residents of the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) at $43,294,208. As the 2025 assessment information has not yet been received from BC Assessment, the board is using 2024 assessment information. Using this information, Electoral Area B (Gabriola, Mudge, Decourcy) would be covering $1,622,665 of the provisional budget.

Ian Thorpe, representing the City of Nanaimo, is the Chair for the Hospital District. He said the budget could change in the new year.

Thorpe explained the Board has to approve a provisional budget by the end of December. But the number in the provisional budget will be looked at and probably changed come the new year, “when we have more information from the Province and Island Health.”

The provincial election this past fall, and the change in cabinet, has interrupted Island Health’s capital planning process.

This has in turn delayed Island Health responding to funding requests from the Hospital District.

Leonard Krog represents the City of Nanaimo on the Board.

Krog said he appreciates the concerns that have been raised this year around taxation levels, as the Regional District of Nanaimo, “has moved aggressively and in my view, appropriately, to raise the taxation reflecting the capital needs of the district.

“I understand the frustration around this, having said that it’s not as if the need for health care delivery in the whole of the RDN is going to disappear or lessen over time.”

Krog noted the RDN is a fast growing area, “and if we think the conditions at the hospital now are challenging, it’s only going to get worse. I’m not presupposing what the final number will be, but I want to make it very clear from the start that it will take a great deal to dissuade me from whatever we arrive at as a final number.

“I’m prepared to defend the decision of this board, if it moves appropriately and aggressively, to approve a budget that takes into account that for many years in this regional district we simply did not put forward the kind of funding, raise the level of taxation, and build the reserves that are necessary.”

He said anyone who has been in the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has seen the conditions under which people work. Krog said, “there is no pretending we’re going to have someone ride in on a white horse and save us. We are going to have to raise the money ourselves and prove to the province that we are ready, willing, and able to do our share….it’s up to us to look out for the most basic of health care services in our regional district – which is the hospital. Given the nature of our population, the Catheter Lab.

“There are lives at risk and indeed quite arguably people have died because they didn’t have access to the kind of timely service that they need.

“I want to put the marker down today that I’m prepared to defend whatever number this Regional District decides on because I think it’s important, it’s our responsibility, and sometimes doing the responsible thing isn’t always the popular thing.”

It is expected that information will be available to the board in February 2025.

The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) is an independent entity and its sole purpose is to provide capital funding for designated facilities which includes equipment, land and physical structures. The NRHD has its own budget and is governed by a Board of Directors.

The board is made up of the elected officials from the Board of the Regional District of Nanaimo. Ian Thorpe currently sits as the Chair, Janice Perrino is the Acting Chair. Vanessa Craig represents Gabriola, Mudge, and Decourcy. The rest of the NRHD Board is made up of Jessica Stanley, Lauren Melanson, Bob Rogers, Leanne Salter, Lehann Wallace, Stuart McLean, Teunis Westbroek, Doug O’Brien, Sean Wood, Mark Swain, Leonard Krog, Sheryl Armstrong, Paul Manly, Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht, and Erin Hemmens.