Sea to Sky Hospital District Seeks Provincial Designation for Funding

The Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District (SSRHD) has moved to secure provincial health facility designation for the Harrow Road Community Hub in Pemberton. This initiative aims to unlock $1 million in regional funding for the project. During a meeting on September 17, 2023, directors unanimously supported an application under Section 49 of the Hospital District Act, which allows the Minister of Health to designate a facility as a health centre for cost-sharing purposes.

Colin Hodgins, the SSRHD’s deputy director of finance, highlighted the significance of this designation. “As you may remember, we have allocated a million dollars in the 2025 budget for this project,” he said. “However, that funding is contingent on receiving designation as a health facility under Section 49 of the Hospital District Act.”

The application process requires several components. Hodgins noted the necessity of a letter or resolution from the board endorsing the designation, along with a letter of support from the local health authority. Additional information is needed regarding the management of funds by a nonprofit society. He described the process as being handled on a case-by-case basis, with limited public information available on the Ministry’s specific requirements for approving a health facility.

Heather Paul, the SSRHD Chief Administrative Officer, emphasized that involvement from organizations such as Foundry or Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) would strengthen their application. “Although we can apply without it, the chances of being approved are significantly higher with Foundry or VCH operating within that building,” she explained.

Following a brief discussion, the board voted to support two resolutions: one to provide a letter to the province endorsing the Harrow Road Community Hub’s designation as a health facility, and another to direct staff to develop and submit the full application.

Details of the Harrow Road Project

The Harrow Road Project, spearheaded by Sea to Sky Community Services, is a $41 million development currently under construction in Pemberton. It will deliver 63 affordable housing units and a 9,000-square-foot community hub. The hub is designed to accommodate over 30 SSCS programs, including dedicated space for a Foundry youth mental health satellite and VCH services.

In October 2024, SSCS presented the proposal to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District board, which subsequently included the $1 million in its 2025 budget for the hub. Nevertheless, this funding will only be released once the Ministry of Health grants the health facility designation, a stipulation of SSRHD’s “non-traditional funding policy.” This policy imposes additional hurdles for health facilities run by non-profit organizations, as opposed to those operated by VCH.

SSRHD Chair and Squamish Councillor Jenna Stoner expressed concern that if the Harrow Road project fails to secure the necessary designation, the earmarked $1 million would remain unused in reserves, rather than being allocated to support health services. The extent of funding the facility receives will also impact whether the Foundry facility in Pemberton will serve as a “hub” or merely a “satellite” of the Squamish Foundry site, influencing the range of services offered.

During a meeting on May 27, 2023, Mayor Mike Richman informed Pemberton’s council that the community was not initially included on the map for a full Foundry but rather as a satellite hub connected to the Squamish location. Nonetheless, given Pemberton’s location and its potential to serve “youth and families from the Village and throughout the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District,” a full Foundry hub would be more beneficial.

In a follow-up discussion on June 24, 2023, Richman noted that the hub “will also support all the Indigenous communities in the area, and there’s already an effort underway to ensure culturally sensitive and accessible services are provided.”

The Pemberton council has voted to request a meeting with Minister of Health Josie Osborne during the upcoming Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference to discuss the future of the Foundry location. SSCS advocates assert that the Harrow Road project presents a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to co-locate affordable housing, health services, and social programs within a single integrated space. This initiative aims to address significant gaps in youth mental health, substance use services, and family support in one of British Columbia’s fastest-growing communities.