New St. Paul’s Hospital nearing completion, but staffing concerns persist

The brand new St. Paul's Hospital is nearing completion and expected to open next year, but some health-care workers are questioning how it will function.

Vancouver’s new St. Paul’s Hospital is entering the final stages of construction, with the province expecting the multi‑billion‑dollar project to open next year. On Friday, Premier David Eby toured the False Creek Flats site, calling it a world‑class facility that will transform health-care delivery in British Columbia.

“It will be a place of healing using the best and latest technologies,” Eby said during the tour.

The new hospital is about double the size of the aging downtown St. Paul’s location and will include nearly 550 beds. It’s being built with advanced medical technologies such as digital systems, robotics and other next‑generation tools.

“There will be reduced complications and increased throughput of patients,” said Eby. “They’ll be able to move patients through faster than they do at the current St. Paul’s site.”

While the hospital itself is being celebrated as a major milestone, leaders in the health‑care industry say the province’s staffing crisis threatens the new facility’s ability to operate at full capacity.

British Columbia has seen emergency room and maternity ward closures across several communities in recent months due to a shortage of doctors. Patients have also faced delays due to shortages of other front-line staff.

“Having these new sites built is only helpful if staffing is there,” said Sarah Kooner, president of the Health Sciences Association.

“We need to build the health‑care system from a workers’ perspective.”

The BC Nurses’ Union estimates the province faces roughly 6,000 nursing vacancies, and president Adriane Gear says more nurses will be needed to meet required nurse‑to‑patient ratios when the new hospital opens.

“Is it a concern? It is,” Gear said. “Are we on the right track? I think we’re starting to be.”

The project has also drawn criticism over its escalating cost and construction timeline. Initially announced in 2019 with a budget of $1.9 billion and slated to open this year, the new St. Paul’s is now expected to cost around $2.2 billion and begin receiving patients in spring 2027.

“It’s a project that is a year behind schedule and $350 million over budget with a year still to go,” said B.C. Conservative MLA and infrastructure critic Misty Van Popta.

Construction is scheduled to wrap up this summer. A separate research facility connected to the hospital is planned to open in 2029.

Eby says despite the challenges, the new St. Paul’s Hospital will be a critical part of rebuilding the province’s strained health‑care system.

“New facilities like this are huge attractors for recruiting new doctors and nurses,” he said.