CATH LAB "LOAN" PROPOSED BY NRHD

 

“The Cath Lab ‘Loan’: What They’re Saying… and What They’re Not”

So here’s the headline : “Hospital District offers to cover 100% of the cost to start a cath lab immediately.”
Sounds heroic. Sounds like Nanaimo just found a money tree.

But read the fine print: this isn’t “free money.” It’s a cash-advance plan. A loan offer. A pressure move aimed at Victoria.

The pitch, in plain English

Normally, big hospital capital works like this:

• Province pays 60%

• Hospital district taxpayers pay 40%

This motion flips the timing:

• The hospital district says, “We’ll front 100% up front… if the province accepts.”

• Then, later, the province pays the district back for the province’s share, and the district keeps paying its share.

So it’s not “we pay 100% forever.”
It’s “we pay now so you don’t stall.”

The real trick: the patient tower shuffle

Here’s the part most people will miss.

They’re not just offering to front the cath lab. They’re also basically saying:
“We’ll use our future ‘patient tower’ share early, on the cath lab.”

Meaning: the district’s 40% “tower money” gets spent now to build the cath lab sooner.
And then when the tower comes later, they’re implying the province covers 100% of the tower because the district’s share was already used.

That’s a clever maneuver. But it raises one big question:

Who is guaranteeing that tower actually happens, and on what timeline?
Because if you spend your share early… and the tower gets delayed, downsized, or re-scoped… taxpayers are left holding the bag for the “phase one” they already paid for.

The $50 million headline number

They’ve inserted $50 million into the capital plan under “catheterization lab.”

But staff admitted the truth: they don’t actually know the full cost yet.
So $50M is a placeholder — not a fixed price.

And once you start saying “we’ll adjust accordingly,” that’s where the taxpayer’s blood pressure rises.

Meanwhile — the tax meter is still running

The draft 2026 hospital district budget says:

• Requisition almost $49.5 million

• $64.38 per $100,000 of assessed value

• Up $10.49 per $100,000 compared to last year

So yes — they can say “this money is sitting there collecting interest.”
But it’s still your money.
And the plan depends on the province repaying their share later.

The questions nobody should let slide

Before anyone calls this “decisive and unprecedented,” here are the accountability questions:

1. What does “province pays it back” mean in writing?
   Is there a legal agreement? A repayment schedule? Interest? Deadlines? Or is it a handshake and a press release?

2. What if Victoria says yes… but drags its feet anyway?
   Who carries the cash-flow risk — and for how long?

3. What if the cath lab ends up costing way more than $50 million?
   Does the requisition rise again? Do taxpayers get another surprise “per $100,000” increase?

4. And what about staffing?
   A cath lab isn’t just concrete and equipment. It’s specialists, nurses, and 24/7 coverage.
   Where is the staffing plan? Where is the operating budget?

The bottom line

This motion is a smart political move — it puts pressure on the province to stop dithering and get on with it.

But don’t let “100% funding” fool you.

This is not a gift.
It’s not “free.”
It’s a taxpayer-backed cash advance — and it comes with risks unless the repayment and tower commitments are nailed down in writing.

If it’s truly urgent, sign the agreement, publish the terms, and put dates on the calendar.
Otherwise, it’s just another headline… floating in the fog.

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THIS IS THE MOTION PASSED AT THE DEC. 9 NRHD BOARD MEETING

Establishing and Earmarking in the 2026–2030 Financial Plan a Funding Envelope of up to $50 Million to Advance Development of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH)

It was moved and seconded:

WHEREAS residents north of the Malahat experience significant delays and travel-related risks in accessing cardiac diagnostic and interventional services, impacting timely care and patient outcomes;

WHEREAS the Vancouver Island Cardiac Services Plan identifies the need to enrich cardiology services across Vancouver Island and specifically recommends the development of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (“Cath Lab”) to serve Central and North Island populations;

WHEREAS Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is the clinically appropriate and geographically central location to host a Cath Lab that would serve more than 450,000 residents, reducing reliance on facilities in Victoria or Vancouver;

WHEREAS the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (“NRHD”) has committed to funding 40% of its priority capital projects;

WHEREAS providing this up-front funding mechanism may help to accelerate planning, approval, and implementation, thereby improving access to life-saving cardiac services for all citizens north of the Malahat;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District directs that for 2026, $50 million be inserted into the NRHD Capital Plan under the line item ‘Catheterization Lab (Tertiary Service Requirement)’ of the 2026–2030 NRHD Financial Plan to provide full up-front financing for the planning, construction, and equipping of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District Board resolve to fund 100% of the cardiac catheterization lab project as part of its total overall combined funding contribution toward the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital new patient tower and cardiac catheterization lab projects, and that the Board communicate this commitment to Island Health and the Government of British Columbia.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY