Speed up cancer centre, says Mayor

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson wants to know what he can do to get the province’s proposed cancer centre in Kamloops built as early as possible.

Hamer-Jackson told media following the June 27 council meeting he will be drafting a letter to B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix asking him to explain what measures he can take before council to get the facility fast tracked. The mayor said if Dix gives him a list of things that can be done to speed up the process, he will then take that to council to get passed.

Back on May 25, Adrian Dix was in Kamloops to announce the provincial NDP government would build a cancer care centre in Kamloops with an opening date of 2027 — at least three years later than what was promised by the current government in 2020.

Dix announced that there had been approval of the approval of a concept plan for a complete cancer care centre in the city. While there is cancer care at Royal Inland Hospital — including diagnostics and chemotherapy — it lacks radiation treatment, resulting in patients in the Kamloops area being forced to travel to Kelowna.