The City of Prince George is working with the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District, Northern Health, and the Province of British Columbia to ensure the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) acute care tower project includes a helipad that supports the best possible emergency-care outcomes for northern residents.
Prince George is the only major regional and referral trauma centre in B.C. without an on-site hospital helipad. Since 1993, air ambulance patients have landed at the Prince George Airport, approximately 15 kilometres from UHNBC, before being transferred to the hospital by ground ambulance.
The Government of British Columbia committed to building a helipad as part of the overall UHNBC project plan in 2024, a commitment reconfirmed during the Premier’s 2024 election campaign. The City strongly supports that commitment; however, neither the initial plan nor the recently announced redesign accounts for a helipad on the hospital campus, despite direct and ongoing feedback from the City and user groups.
Over the past 12 months, council and senior administrative staff have met numerous times with Northern Health, and the city has completed a thorough review of proposed municipal land options near UHNBC. Based on existing land-use plans, conflicts with current users, impacts to nearby residents, and existing utilities, it is the city’s position that no off-site option on municipal land is currently feasible.
The city supports the advocacy work of the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District on this issue and will continue to work with all partners to ensure the best outcome on the helipad site.
The city remains unwavering in its support for the acute care tower project and wants to avoid delays to the overall project timeline. The city also maintains that the hospital campus is the most appropriate and logical location for the helipad.