The City of Delta is considering a bold move — stepping into the health care arena. At Monday’s council meeting, Mayor George Harvie proposed hiring a consultant to explore the feasibility of city owned and operated urgent and primary care centres in both North and South Delta.
The motion, unanimously approved, directs staff to conduct a detailed analysis that will identify existing service gaps, assess successful models from other cities, and evaluate costs and funding options.
Harvie said that local residents continue to struggle with long waits at Delta Hospital’s emergency department and difficulty finding family doctors. “Establishing city run urgent and primary care centres would improve access to care and reduce strain on the hospital’s ER,” he said.
The initiative takes inspiration from the City of Colwood, where a municipal health clinic pilot program launched last year employs doctors and medical staff as city employees, funded by provincial revenues. Cities like Kamloops have also shown interest in adopting a similar model.
While the motion received support, councillors voiced concerns about municipalities shouldering provincial responsibilities. Coun. Dylan Kruger called the situation “deeply concerning,” adding that using local tax dollars to backfill provincial health care failures sets a worrying precedent. Still, he agreed it was important to understand the financial implications before pressing the province for solutions.
Councillors Alicia Guichon and Jessie Dosanjh supported the proposal, emphasizing that any step toward improved access would benefit the community, while Coun. Jennifer Johal warned against “downloading responsibility” from the province.
The discussion came days after Delta Hospital faced another emergency room service disruption — the fourth this year. Harvie said these repeated closures demonstrate the need to “think outside the box” for immediate and long-term fixes.
A separate motion by Kruger to declare a public health emergency in Delta was ruled out of order, as only the provincial health officer has authority to do so. Council agreed to revisit the matter after meeting with Health Minister Josie Osborne and representatives from Fraser Health and the Delta Hospital Foundation in the coming weeks.
