Young people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver and struggling with mental-health and addictions challenges will get better access to care and supports to help them find a pathway to recovery and a better life.

As part of one of the largest expansions in youth mental-health and addictions supports, 28 new youth community care beds will be a part of a new program at Covenant House Vancouver to help young, unhoused people from 16 to 24.

“At-risk children and young people who face mental-health and substance-use challenges need a safe and supportive place to live that connects them with the care they need to start their healing journey,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “The new Sanctuary program at Covenant House Vancouver will ensure that more young people have a safe place to shelter, stabilize and get the treatment they need in order to pave a better path for their life.”

These community support beds are low-barrier beds for high-risk young people, including those who are street-entrenched, providing wraparound care for young people who have significant substance-use challenges and undiagnosed or untreated mental-health issues.

“The Covenant House Vancouver team is dedicated to serving youth in our community with relentless support, unconditional love and utmost respect,” said Deb Lester, executive director, Covenant House Vancouver. “The opening of the Sanctuary program will offer young people the support they need to meet them where they are in their journey toward health and wellness.”

The new Sanctuary program will open in June 2024 and will be the lowest-barrier program of care offered by Covenant House Vancouver, helping fill the gap of supports needed specifically for unhoused young people. The purpose of the program is to give young people, who present with significant substance-use and mental-health concerns, the opportunity to stabilize and identify the recovery pathway that will work for them. This may include more comprehensive mental-health and addictions care, as well as stable housing and social supports.

The 2023 provincewide Point in Time Homeless Counts showed 8% of those recorded were under age 25. It also found that almost half of more than 4,800 counted first experienced homelessness as a youth.

“Safety, shelter and wraparound supports are essential for youth seeking healing and recovery,” said Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development. “The new Sanctuary program by Covenant House Vancouver will change and save lives for youth with low-barrier access to service, health care, counselling, peer support and connection to other community supports.”

In addition to the 28 new beds, 33 new full-time employees, such as youth workers, peer support workers, a social worker and a counsellor, will be hired to support the program. Youth can self-refer or be referred by a service provider. Five beds will be reserved for emergency-room referrals.

Young people in the Sanctuary program can also benefit from other resources at Covenant House Vancouver, such as:

• stable housing with wraparound supports;
• in-house counselling with sessions available as needed;
• addictions treatment supports tailored for youth;
• primary care health services on site through a partnership with Foundry;
• Peer and clinical support, as well as other life-saving assistance;
• meals seven days a week;
• access to computers;
• connections to long-term care and support programs;
• direct connections to income assistance, as well as the YMCA Career Zone to help young people on their path to receiving supports and supporting themselves; and
• access to amenities, such as the gymnasium, music room and wellness room.

The Province is investing approximately $5 million over the next two years to operate the Sanctuary program.

This expansion of community support beds for youth is part of the Province’s work to improve mental-health and addictions care for children and youth and is supported by the Budget 2023 investment of $236 million over three years in new and expanded addictions care for youth and young adults.

Quotes:

Dr. Mike Norbury, senior medical director, Vancouver Community, Vancouver Coastal Health –

“Vancouver Coastal Health is very pleased to partner with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and Covenant House Vancouver on this new and innovative program for young people in our region. The Sanctuary program will ensure we’re providing our clients with essential supports and access to services so they can successfully meet their immediate health-care needs and long-term care goals.”

Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing –

“The B.C. government takes a housing-first approach so that people facing homelessness have a better chance of moving forward with their lives. Once housed, youth will get the support services they need through Covenant House Vancouver so they can focus on their mental and physical health, education, employment and community connections that they need to thrive.”

Brenda Bailey, MLA for Vancouver False-Creek –

“It is heartbreaking to see young people living on the streets, feeling hopeless about the future. The degree of risk these youth are exposed to is unacceptable. The Sanctuary program will provide accessible supports and a safe space to stay, so street-involved youth can start their journey to healing in a way that works for them.”

Quick Facts:

• Since 2017, the Province has opened 599 publicly funded substance-use beds, including 72 youth substance-use beds, helping fill a long-standing gap in youth bed-based treatment services. The 28-bed Sanctuary program at Covenant House Vancouver, opening in June 2024, will add to this total, with many more to come.
• In 2022, government announced a historic expansion of youth addiction services in every health authority, including new and expanded programs across health authorities.

Cancer patients affected by certain advanced leukemias and lymphomas now have better access to Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell (CAR-T) therapy closer to home, as the therapy becomes available in the province.

This is a partnership between the Province and BC Cancer, Provincial Laboratory Medicine Services, Vancouver General Hospital and BC Children’s Hospital.

“Cancer touches the lives of so many people in British Columbia,” said Premier David Eby. “Our goal is to lead the country with better and faster ways to prevent, detect and treat cancers so we can stop this disease in its tracks. That’s why, starting now, we are supporting eligible cancer patients and their families who are facing the most devastating cancer threats by providing CAR-T therapy right here in British Columbia.”

Intake and patient assessment began in January 2024 with the first treatment starting in March 2024. During initial implementation, 20 adults will be treated at Vancouver General Hospital and an estimated five children/youth will be treated at BC Children’s Hospital, per year.

“This is an important milestone in our continuing efforts to enhance treatment options and expand access to life saving cancer care services for people living in B.C.,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “We know that the incidence of cancer is increasing as our population ages and grows at unprecedent rates. That is why we are bolstering our resources and infrastructure to benefit and empower patients and health-care professionals with the support they need in our fight against cancer.”

The Province continues to deliver on more actions under B.C.’s 10-year Cancer Care Action Plan, announced in 2023, by improving access to cervical cancer screening, HPV vaccines, radiation therapy and specialized cancer care for people.

“By improving access to CAR T-cell therapy, we’re bringing this new life-saving treatment closer to home for patients with some advanced blood cancers who are no longer responding to conventional treatments,” said Dr. Kim Chi, executive vice-president and chief medical officer, BC Cancer. “This announcement and these new investments will help us expand and improve specialized treatments and diagnostics and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with cancer and those who love them.”

Through Budget 2024, the Province invests $270 million over the next three years to provide people with better access to oncologists and specialized cancer diagnostics and treatments, including PET-CT scans, genomic testing, precision radiation therapy, new targeted anti-cancer drugs and specialized immunotherapy. The funding will also support the elimination of cervical cancer in B.C., improving in-province access to radiation and systemic (chemo) therapies, increasing support for and collaboration with primary-care providers and recruiting additional cancer-care positions.

Budget 2024 also provides funding for capital projects to further support B.C.’s 10-Year Cancer Action Plan, including cancer centres in Kamloops, Nanaimo, Burnaby and Surrey, and other cancer initiatives.

This builds on Budget 2023 that provided $270 million over three years for cancer care as part of government’s $440-million initial investment in B.C.’s 10-Year Cancer Action Plan.

In 2022, an expected 32,170 people were diagnosed with cancer and more than 11,000 died because of cancer. For 2023, the expected number would be 33,105.

The 10-year cancer-care action plan is supported by B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, which supports patients by ensuring they get the health services they need and are cared for by a healthy workforce. This strategy focuses on 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers in B.C., while redesigning the health-care system to foster workplace satisfaction and innovation.

Quotes:

Sarah Roth, president and CEO, BC Cancer Foundation –

“Today’s announcement is an example of the power of philanthropy to transform cancer care. BC Cancer’s CAR-T research program was the first of its kind in Canada and founded 100% through BC Cancer Foundation donor funding. Providing this therapy as standard of care marks the success of this research and will have a tremendous impact on British Columbians in need of the cutting-edge therapy.”

Malcolm Berry, president and CEO, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation –

“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in the availability of treatment within B.C. for the one in five kids with aggressive cancers who relapse. We recognize the Michael Cuccione Foundation’s investment in the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program at BC Children’s Hospital catalyzed the infrastructure for the delivery of these therapies. We celebrate this milestone as we work together to pursue even greater possibilities for children’s health in our province.”

Gloria Cuccione, executive director, Michael Cuccione Foundation –

“CAR T-cell therapy has changed the lives of patients at BC Children’s Hospital and now there will be increased access for children facing tough-to-treat cancers across the province. Since 2018, our support has made clinical trials a reality for patients and their families. This announcement reaffirms our mission to support novel research, creative thinking and the quest for groundbreaking discoveries that will help continue to help patients with cancers today and in the future.”

Dr. Kevin Song, medical director, Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Program of British Columbia, and director, Hematology Research Program, Vancouver General Hospital –

“CAR-T is transformational treatment for cancer care, providing specialized cellular therapy for patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is an important milestone that will allow patients to receive the best care available at Vancouver General Hospital.”

Abraham and Mary-Jill Asrat, parents of a pediatric CAR-T patient –

“Access to CAR-T was life-saving for our eight-year-old son, who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two. It has given him back his childhood – school, sports, play dates and time with family. We are thrilled that this innovative therapy will now be an option available to other children facing a similar journey and that it will bring hope to families from across B.C.”

Adrian Chantler, cancer patient who received CAR T-cell therapy in Vancouver through clinical trials –

“I had a particularly obstinate cancer. A few weeks after treatment I started feeling better and today, after just a few months, I’m essentially back to normal. I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to access CAR T-cell therapy without having to travel and with the support of my wife and family nearby.”

People in Surrey will have access to enhanced health-care services as plans move ahead for a new acute care tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

“Surrey’s quickly growing population needs health care to grow with it,” said Premier David Eby. “People need to know health care is accessible, not after a long wait or a long drive to another community. World-class health care should be available right here in Surrey. Today, I am announcing that a new acute care tower is on the way for the Surrey Memorial Hospital to help meet local needs by adding more hospital beds and more services south of the Fraser River.”

The new tower is expected to add acute and specialized care capacity to the Surrey Memorial Hospital campus, such as medical, surgical, pediatric, perinatal, women’s-health, and mental-health and stroke care. Planning will align with the ongoing improvements to the site.

“We’re making historic investments in health-care services that will make a huge difference in the lives of people in Surrey,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “We’re significantly expanding facility and human-resource capacities to meet the increasing needs of the growing and aging Surrey population head on, and now adding new acute care tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital. We look forward to hearing from health-care workers and community members during this crucial stage of the planning process to get input on the facility.”

During the next 15-18 months, the project will proceed to the business-planning phase. Consultation to support business planning will soon launch and include engagement with health-care providers, Indigenous partners, the community and local municipalities.

“This new acute care tower at the Surrey Memorial Hospital marks a significant milestone in our mission to meet the dynamic health needs of our growing population,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health. “Our vision for the cutting-edge health-services campus is to inspire innovation and excellence for our patients, families and communities, and to be the best place to work for our teams.”

The business-planning process determines project scope, budget, timelines and procurement strategy. Once the business plan is complete and approved by government, the procurement process will start and construction will get underway.

In June 2023, the Province announced 30 actions to improve access to health care for people in Surrey, which included reviewing site needs at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

“Last summer, I announced 30 actions to improve health care for people in Surrey after meeting with and listening to the needs of health-care workers at Surrey Memorial Hospital, and we are already seeing great progress,” Dix said. “This announcement builds on those actions, as well the construction of a new hospital and cancer centre, and plans to open a new medical school, the first one in about 50 years in Western Canada.”

The Province is taking multiple actions to strengthen health care for people and families in Surrey. This includes building a second hospital and cancer centre, adding a second MRI and CT with cardiac capabilities, expanding primary care and building a second medical school, the first one in Western Canada in about 50 years.

Approximately 685,000 people live in Surrey, a number that is expected to continue growing. Surrey’s population grew at a rate of 3.8% from 2022 until 2023. Based on annual estimates, on average the population of Surrey grew by more than 2,000 people each month from 2022 until 2023.

In an event announced , the Health and Technology District, by Lark Group and ICT Group, is partnering with Western Community College (WCC) on a unique collaborative project featuring more than 500 student and faculty residential housing units, and an expanded campus site at the District’s latest development, City Centre 5 (CC5). WCC is experiencing significant growth in its hospitality and health and technology programs, which is driving its rapid expansion into the District.

Strategically located adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital and King George Skytrain station, City Centre 5 is part of the Health and Technology District, by Lark Group and ICT Group, a unique ecosystem where a growing cluster of professional, health, technology and academic-based organizations are focused on BC’s rapidly emerging health, education, skills and technology economy.

The new WCC campus at City Centre 5 features 500 student and faculty residential housing space, including potential market rental space to support the needs of local health care institutions. The expanded campus space includes a café and large dining hall supported by the college’s Bachelor of Hospitality internships and practicums, resident support offices, a multipurpose room, an Indigenous focused reflection space, laundry facilities, student study, lounge and kitchen area and bike storage spaces.

“I am proud to announce our groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with ICT Group and Lark Group to address the pressing need for student housing. Recognizing the challenges many students face in securing suitable accommodation, we are pioneering efforts to provide housing facilities for 500 students and faculty,” says Gurpal Dhaliwal, President, Western Community College. “As the first private institution in Surrey to tackle this issue head-on, we reaffirm our commitment to student success and well-being. By prioritizing access to safe and supportive housing, we ensure that all who come through our doors have the opportunity to pursue their dreams with confidence and peace of mind.”

Western Community College’s expanded campus within the District will become home to a growing network of researchers, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and multinational and start-up companies that are collaborating with students and clinicians in a number of health care environments to accelerate the implementation of technologies and solutions to achieve health care improvements. The college currently has space in the District’s City Centre 3 building where their Bachelors of Hospitality Program students are based, with plans to expand additional programs into City Centre 4 and City Centre 5.

“The City of Surrey will soon become BC’s largest city and is forecasted to have a population of one million people as early as 2042,” says Mayor Brenda Locke, City of Surrey. “The investment being made today will pay dividends in bolstering health care in Surrey over the long term. It makes a lot of sense to train health professionals within the city in the hopes they will stay and work in Surrey upon graduation. I would like to thank Western Community College, Lark Group and ICT Group for leading the charge in expanding Surrey’s burgeoning Health and Technology District.”

“We are blazing a trail in BC’s business and innovation landscape with the continuing expansion and accelerated momentum of Surrey’s Health and Technology District,” says Kirk Fisher, CEO of Lark Group. “The incredible demand for health, office, education space, and now student accommodations, as Surrey becomes BC’s largest City, has propelled us to accelerate the construction of our City Centre 5 building, with City Centre 6-9 already in the planning stages. Not only are we igniting Surrey’s innovation, health care and business landscapes, we’re creating access to local academic opportunities for future generations.”

A number of other high-profile organizations have recently expanded into the District, including UBC, which purchased space within the City Centre 1 building for their Midwifery and Master of Physical Therapy program for the South of Fraser region, with space that includes laboratories, seminar rooms, student learning commons, and multi-purpose spaces. In 2021, UBC also announced an additional $70-million purchase of an adjacent property that is anticipated to combine residential and commercial spaces to accommodate dedicated academic facilities.

Western Community College also has an existing presence within the District in City Centre 2 with their Surrey Board of Trade collaboration and the Surrey Technology and Skills Centre, which is a premier centre for research, business, and innovation. It features health and technology training programs, international partnerships, Surrey International Trade Centre expansion, an Indigenous Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre, a Cyber Crime Centre of Excellence, a Blockchain Centre of Excellence, an Immigration Innovation Lab, and entrepreneurship hubs for women and youth.

“Surrey is seeing more private sector investments because of the scope and depth of our population and to see educational institutions like Western Community College choosing Surrey especially in this downtown core around the Health and Technology District is a testament to the leadership and innovation the Lark Group and ICT Group brings to Surrey,” says Anita Huberman, President and CEO, Surrey Board of Trade.

ICT Group and Lark Group’s City Centre 5 building is currently under construction and is slated for completion in Q3 2028. For more information, visit www.healthandtechnologydistrict.com.

About Western Community College:

Western Community College (WCC) has been a pivotal institution in transforming communities through quality education since its inception in 2012. Offering over 60 undergraduate, postgraduate, and bachelor’s programs, WCC focuses on health care, hospitality, accounting, information technology, business management and now aviation. WCC’s mission revolves around providing accessible higher education opportunities, enhancing students’ professional skills, and fostering leadership within the community. Western Community College is renowned for offering exceptional student services among private colleges, ensuring students receive comprehensive support and resources that contribute significantly to their academic and professional success. www.wcc.ca

About ICT Group

A division of the Garabaldi Group, ICT is a diversified company focused on strategic and collaborative real estate development. With Integrity as its core value, each project is managed to ensure a risk-mitigated approach and community involvement. https://imaginingcommunitiestogether.com

About Lark Group:

The Lark Group is a family-owned and operated development, construction, and facility management company that has successfully developed real estate in British Columbia since 1972. Based in Surrey, B.C., the Lark Group has built a trusted reputation in the North American market by leading world-class institutional, residential, and award-winning health care and long-term care developments. It has developed the Health and Technology District in Surrey, a series of eight high-tech buildings immediately adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital, as a rapidly expanding ecosystem of innovators and entrepreneurs collaborating with tech companies, scientists, educators and health professionals, working together to transform research, science and technology into global health care innovations. www.larkgroup.com

About the Health and Technology District:

The Health and Technology District (the DISTRICT) is an expanded ecosystem of businesses, innovators and entrepreneurs collaborating with tech companies, scientists, educators, and health professionals, each representing various business, technology, and research fields. The DISTRICT also serves as an innovative education HUB, offering a dynamic community where disruptive impacts are generated by translating teaching, research, and science. www.healthandtechnologydistrict.com

As part of Budget 2024 measures that will increase supply and make homes more affordable and accessible, the Province is taking action against speculators and those who profit from “flipping” homes.

“Families shouldn’t have to compete with house-flipping investors when they’re trying to buy a home,” said Premier David Eby. “This tax will deter speculators and give families looking for a place to live an advantage in our housing market.”

Legislation to introduce the B.C. home-flipping tax will be introduced in spring 2024. If passed, it will take effect Jan. 1, 2025. At that time, any home sold within two years of purchase will be taxed, with the revenue funding new homes. Exemptions to the home-flipping tax will be available to people who face unavoidable life changes, including death and divorce, job relocation or loss, and people who are adding to B.C.’s housing supply.

“We know that people are struggling to find homes to rent or buy in areas that are close to work and their families,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Finance. “We want people to know our government has your back. That’s why Budget 2024 takes further steps to deliver more housing for people faster and make sure homes are lived in.”

The flipping tax complements other measures B.C. has taken to discourage housing speculation, including a speculation and vacancy tax, which is estimated to have freed up at least 20,000 homes in Metro Vancouver alone. The Province is also investing billions in B.C. Builds to build homes for the middle class.

“For many people, housing is their number 1 concern,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “We are delivering results, but we’re not done. B.C. Builds is going to deliver thousands of middle-class homes in communities people want to live in.”

In fall 2023, B.C. introduced reforms to limit short-term rentals in cities where vacancy rates are low.

“I had been looking for a new apartment — right when the timing of the new short-term rental legislation hit the media. Just a couple of days later, more than a few of the listings I was seeing online were obviously ex-AirBnbs,” said Andrew Rideout, a renter from Vancouver. “I was able to sign on one really quickly at a decent price with some really good amenities. Without the new rules, my place wouldn’t have been available and I wanted to let Premier Eby know that, at the very least, he helped me snap up a great apartment in my favourite neighbourhood.”

B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024.

This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023.

The alternate minimum rates, for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers and camp leaders, will receive the same 3.9% increase on June 1. On Dec. 31, 2024, the minimum piece rates for 15 hand-harvested crops will also increase by the same percentage.

“B.C. has gone from having one of the lowest minimum wages in the country to the highest of all the provinces. We made a commitment to tie minimum-wage increases to the rate of inflation to prevent B.C.’s lowest-paid workers from falling behind,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour. “And today, we are enshrining that commitment into law.”

With the amendments in Bill 2, future increases to all minimum rates will be automatically determined by the previous year’s average inflation rate for B.C. This will provide certainty and predictability for workers and employers. Minimum-wage earners will be able to count on increases every year.

Most wage rates will increase on June 1 of each year, except for agricultural piece rates that will increase on Dec. 31 of each year to ensure crop producers will not have to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.

“As a fast-food worker earning minimum wage, I welcome the government’s rule to increase wages with inflation annually, providing much-needed financial stability to cope with the rising cost of living,” said Carmen Velasco in Richmond.

The changes align with government priorities to help lift more people out of poverty, make life more affordable and build a strong and fair economy for B.C.

Quick Facts:

• In 2023, B.C. increased the minimum wage by 6.9%, which was the increase in the cost of living in the province in 2022.
• At least eight other Canadian jurisdictions also base their minimum-wage increases on annual changes to the rate of inflation determined by the Consumer Price Index.