Dawson Creek, widely recognized as Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway, is the service centre of the South Peace and a gathering point for workers, families, neighbouring First Nations communities, and travellers moving between British Columbia and Alberta. Now, a new era of health care is taking shape that will guide the community into a strong future.
The Dawson Creek & District Hospital Replacement Project will deliver a modern facility designed to meet the region’s growing needs, replacing a hospital that has served the community for more than six decades. For this northern hub, the project represents a significant investment in long-term clinical capacity, cultural safety, and regional resilience.
Construction on the new hospital is scheduled to be completed in September 2026, with the new facility open and ready for patients in early 2027. Advancing the substantial completion date is a major achievement and a testament to hard work by many partners and contributors. It brings us significantly closer to opening a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital that reflects the needs, values, and cultures of Dawson Creek and the Peace Region.
“Dawson Creek sits at the heart of the Peace Region, one of British Columbia’s most resource rich and economically diverse areas,” says Deanna Thomas, Health Services Administrator. Its economy is anchored in oil and gas, energy, agriculture, forestry, and transportation, industries that shape the rhythm of the community. “Dawson Creek functions as a hub for workers travelling between rural communities, neighbouring First Nations, and the Alberta border.” As the starting point of the Alaska Highway, the city also welcomes thousands of visitors each year. “Visitors depend on the city’s amenities, hospitality, and essential services—including health care.”
The existing Dawson Creek & District Hospital has served the community since the 1960s, but evolving standards and modern models of care gradually exposed its limitations. “Extensive assessments showed that upgrading the aging structure and completing costly renovations would only provide short-term solutions while still failing to meet long-term needs,” says Sarah Wilson, Project Director. Renovation would have meant adapting a building never designed for contemporary clinical requirements. “Choosing a full replacement allowed Northern Health to design and build a modern facility that meets today’s clinical and patient care standards, integrates cultural safety, and supports future generations.”
Responding to a Changing Region
The decision to replace the hospital was rooted in the region’s demographic and economic profile. Growth in the Peace Region is often tied to resource project cycles, bringing rapid increases in population and sudden pressure on services. “These industries create periods of rapid population fluctuation, particularly during project cycles, resulting in increased pressure on essential services, including health care,” says Thomas.
At the same time, the population is gradually aging, increasing demand for accessible inpatient care and transitional services. The region also includes a significant Indigenous population. “There is a large population that identifies as Indigenous in the region, so cultural safety and Indigenous informed design have become essential elements of the project,” says Thomas.
Planning revealed that many of the existing hospital’s challenges were structural. Emergency services were constrained by limited treatment spaces and congestion. Imaging areas were fragmented and disconnected from emergency care. Surgical rooms were undersized. Mental health facilities lacked therapeutic design elements and secure emergency department spaces. Inpatient rooms offered little privacy and limited accommodation for families.
“More broadly, the hospital could not support family-centred or culturally safe care,” Thomas says. “The vision for the new hospital is to create a modern, culturally welcoming, patient-centred facility that transforms health care delivery across the region.”
Designing for Modern Care
The new facility reflects that ambition. All inpatient beds will transition to private rooms with ensuite washrooms. The emergency department will expand from 10 to 15 treatment spaces, including three high acuity unit rooms and four Clinical Decision Unit spaces. “The new ED also features a double heated, enclosed ambulance bay with a decontamination room and a tandem trauma and resuscitation bay designed to support simultaneous major trauma interventions.”
Acute services will be anchored by a 32-room medical and surgical inpatient unit, complemented by a 10-room convalescent care unit designed to ease pressure on acute beds and provide structured transitional support. Two modern operating rooms, an endoscopy suite, and a minor procedure room will bring surgical services in line with contemporary standards. Medical imaging will include CT, MRI, ultrasound, mammography, and x-ray, integrated more efficiently with emergency and inpatient areas.
Mental health capacity will increase to 18 inpatient beds with two high observation rooms. The maternity unit will feature seven labour, delivery, recovery, and postpartum rooms designed to support families throughout the birth experience. A significantly expanded visiting specialist clinic (more than triple the size of the current space) will accommodate a broader rotation of specialists serving the South Peace.
“The hospital will strengthen access to diagnostic and outpatient services so more treatments can occur closer to home, reducing the need for long-distance travel,” Thomas says. In northern British Columbia, where distances between communities are measured in hours, this impact will be huge.
The project progressed through multiple mock-up phases, from 3D digital walkthroughs to full-scale constructed room replicas where staff tested workflows and proposed refinements. “This collaborative approach strengthened staff involvement in the design, improved clinical functionality, and helped create a hospital that is intuitive, safe, and supportive.”
Building for Resilience and the Future
Sustainability has been embedded in the project from the outset. “Sustainability is a core principle of the new hospital, which is being designed to achieve LEED Gold certification,” Wilson says. Energy-efficient systems, water-saving fixtures, enhanced ventilation, low-emitting materials, and responsible waste management strategies are all part of the plan. “These LEED aligned strategies create a hospital that is energy efficient, climate conscious, and designed to support the long-term health of both the community and the environment.”
“The new hospital represents a major investment in creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and proud to build their careers,” Thomas says. Bright workstations, ergonomic layouts, teaching spaces, and staff amenities are designed to foster a supportive environment. “When health care professionals see a community building a new facility, it signals long-term stability and investment.”
Beyond health care, the hospital’s impact extends into the broader regional economy. Construction has engaged local trades and suppliers, and once operational, the facility will serve as an anchor institution. “Strong health care infrastructure supports other sectors by ensuring workers have reliable access to care and can remain healthy and productive,” Wilson says.
Ultimately, the project’s success will be measured in the impact on the lives of those in the community. “Success will be measured by how well the new hospital enhances the patient and family experience, whether people feel welcomed, respected, and supported,” Thomas says. “Rather than just replacing an aging facility, the new hospital represents a long-term investment in health, dignity, and community resilience for the generations who will rely on it.”
For more information, please visit https://letstalk.northernhealth.ca/dcdh-replacement
