Skip to main content

Project Overview & Timeline

The new BC Children's Hospital centre for health complexity will be the first of its kind in Canada. It is slated to open in 2028.

 Content Editor ‭[3]‬

 


Children and youth living with health complexity need a range of services and supports so they can be looked after in their own communities.  The new BC Children's Hospital centre for health complexity will fill key gaps in care for these children and their families, and support their function, quality of life, and wellbeing.


Timeline

PHSA submitted a business plan for the new centre to the Ministry of Health in November 2021, and the plan was approved in early 2022. The capital cost of the project is $221.8 million, including a $20 million contribution from the BC Children's Hospital Foundation.

Project schedule:

  • Business plan approved: spring 2022
  • Rezoning: 2022-2023
  • Development permit: 2023-2024
  • Demolition: fall 2023 - summer 2024
  • Design-build contract award: summer 2024
  • Design: summer 2024 - winter 2025
  • Building permit: fall 2024 - summer 2025
  • Construction: summer 2025 - fall 2027
  • Facility opens: winter 2028
Please note that all dates are approximate and subject to change.

2023-01-25_Timeline_cropped.jpg

Ongoing services

The Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of BC continues to operate from the site with an entrance off Kaslo Street. The Children's Hearing and Speech Centre of BC is an independent organization that leases land from PHSA, and is not part of the redevelopment of the site.

History of the site

There have been health-care services at this location for over one hundred years. The new centre will continue that tradition.

The lands south of Burrard Inlet, where the Slocan site is located, were used by the Musqueam, Squamish Nation, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. The site was likely used for hunting and for gathering food, medicine, and resources.


It is unknown when the site was taken by settlers. We do know that it was sold to the City of Vancouver in 1911 by an individual landowner, who had cleared the land of trees a few years prior. 

1912GoadsFireInsuranceMap.jpg

In 1911, the City of Vancouver purchased the site to build an isolation hospital. The hospital opened in November 1912 and was used to care for people with smallpox. It was made up of three main buildings: an administrative building and two wings on either side, one for men and one for women. The hospital was in operation until the late 1920s when smallpox was brought under control with vaccination.

1930s_Preventorium.jpg

The buildings were next used to treat school-aged children who had been exposed to TB. After some renovations, the doors of the Vancouver Preventorium opened in November of 1931. The facility included 25 beds, a school, a playroom, a library, and landscaped grounds.

1958PhotoPrincessMargaret.jpgTuberculosis and polio were major health issues of this time. Kids from across the province, including many First Nations communities, came to the Preventorium for expert care. 
 
1950s_Princess_Margaret_655BC6_web.jpg
In 1958, a new wing with 70 more beds was built on the south side of the site, on 21st Avenue. The new Mrs. F.B. Begg Memorial Unit was officially opened by Princess Margaret, and for a short time, the site was renamed the Princess Margaret Children's Village in her honour. 
 
1960s_655BC31_web.jpgWith the success of antibiotics in treating TB, preventoriums were no longer needed. In 1961, the site was renamed Sunny Hill Hospital for Children. It focused on caring for kids with cerebral palsy, disabilities, and children requiring extensive rehabilitation.
 

1970s_Sunny_Hill.jpgThe 1970s saw a range of new services at Sunny Hill, including developmental and medical assessments for outpatients. 

 
1980s_655BC54.jpgIn 1981, Sunny Hill was renovated to include a north wing, an indoor pool, a gymnasium, and Hartman House, which served as a group home for children with severe disabilities. After the group home closed, the Hartman House building was used in many different ways. It was last home to the BC Autism Assessment Network (BCAAN), which provides assessment and diagnosis for BC families.
 
2000s_201812134_BCCHF_SunnyHill_D85_3993_web.jpgAs Sunny Hill celebrated its 60th anniversary in 1991, it underwent more changes. The focus on long-term care shifted to short-term assessment and diagnosis. This allowed Sunny Hill to increase outpatient and outreach services. Sunny Hill staff began traveling to communities throughout BC, so that kids from all over the province could have specialized care. In 1997, Sunny Hill became part of BC Children's Hospital. This led to the development of more services for kids in BC.
 

new_Sunny_Hill_entrance_web.jpgIn August 2020, Sunny Hill moved into a newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility at BC Children’s Hospital on Oak Street. Its name changed to Sunny Hill Health Centre at BC Children's Hospital. This move provided an exciting opportunity to reimagine the health-care services for the site in East Vancouver, and to continue its long history of caring for children.

 
 

Tab Heading
SOURCE: Project Overview & Timeline ( )
Page printed: . Unofficial document if printed. Please refer to SOURCE for latest information.

Copyright © BC Children's Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

    Copyright © 2024 Provincial Health Services Authority.