In an effort to attract and retain health-care workers, the B.C. government announced Tuesday that it will be building rental housing for workers nearby the new Cloverdale hospital.
Health Minister Adrian Dix, Premier David Eby, and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon made the announcement at the site of the under construction Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre.
“Through this BC Builds initiative, we will be able to build first-of-its-kind housing to help health-care workers and their families find homes they can afford, and help people get the health care they need,” Kahlon shared.
The new hospital is located on 176th Street, near the Kwantlen Polytechnic University campus. Construction began 12 months ago, with the hospital set to open in 2029. The total cost of the project is expected to be $2.88 billion.
Eby explained Tuesday that health-care workers face similar barriers that many British Columbians face — trouble finding a decent, affordable home to rent or buy.
“This is a site where we’re using publicly owned land, health authority land, to build housing for health-care workers to support in recruitment and retention at the beautiful new Surrey hospital,” he said.
“We’re doing this kind of work with school boards, with city governments, and with other public landowners to ensure that workers can find the homes that they need,” he added.
More to come.
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