Gavin Dew presses Kelowna 6E opening after leaked memo
kelowna General Hospital’s long-unused 6E space may be moving closer to use after a leaked memo circulated to some medical staff said Interior Health is actively engaging the ministry to advance development of the unfinished sixth floor at Centennial Tower. The memo says officials hope the work will soon lead to approval, development and opening.
Gavin Dew on 6E
Gavin Dew said the memo was a signal of hope, but not the commitment he says is needed. The Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission has been pressing the government in the legislature during question period about what he calls hallway health care, including a question on April 15 about why more than 50 beds worth of expansion space on the fifth and sixth floors was still sitting empty and unfinished behind lock and key.
“This memo is a signal of hope but it’s nowhere near the commitment that we need to see,” Dew said. He also said, “We need to get this space open. We need to give people dignity and privacy and appropriate care, not hallway health care.”
Interior Health and Osborne
Interior Health said the memo was part of an ongoing internal update. Lorne Sisley, the health authority’s vice-president of infrastructure and support services, said, “Hospital capacity continues to require careful planning across Interior Health to support the growing population needs.” He also said, “We routinely advocate for infrastructure and service improvements across the region and building out further clinical space at KGH in 6E is one opportunity we’re continuing to explore. We will continue to work with the province to assess and advance our regional capital priorities.”
B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne visited Kelowna in early May to tour the hospital and meet with staff. The Ministry of Infrastructure said a business case has not been submitted to government for the project, leaving the immediate decision point with the province if Interior Health pushes the proposal ahead.
Centennial Tower space
The sixth-floor space in Centennial Tower has sat vacant for more than a dozen years, despite the fact that the tower opened 13 years ago. Dew said the memo showed momentum, but he added, “It’s disappointing that it has required a sustained political pressure campaign to get this conversation moving but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.”
For Kelowna patients and staff, the practical question now is whether Interior Health turns its internal interest into a formal proposal the province can act on. Until that happens, 6E remains an unused part of a hospital that has been the focus of repeated calls for more beds and less hallway care.
