NDP leader David Eby brought his provincial election campaign to Terrace Sept. 24, 2024, showcasing his four northwestern B.C. candidates in what is most likely his only appearance in the region before the Oct. 19 election.
Eby held two events, one across the street from the new hospital that is replacing the current Mills Memorial Hospital starting in November and the other at Skeena NDP candidate Sarah Zimmerman's campaign office.
Calling the $632.6 million replacement to the out-of-date Mills Memorial a regional facility, Eby said it will bring a higher level of care deserved by northwestern residents.
He told the gathering that it was the newly-elected NDP government in 2017 that moved the new hospital project forward.
"It was push, push, push and push and nothing happened," he said of a lobbying effort begun locally and by the North West Regional Hospital District to replace Mills Memorial beginning in 2010.
Eby's remarks were amplified by former Terrace mayor Carol Leclerc who took the gathering on a short history lesson leading up to construction approval.
"I can remember going toe to toe with [former B.C. Liberal] Premier Christy Clark at the time and just giving it everything we had," she said. "And I came out of that meeting and [city councillor] Brian Downie saying 'boy, were you on fire.' Of course, I was on fire and this was important to our community. If we didn't lobby for it, who was going to lobby for it."
She recalled taking former B.C. Liberal finance minister Mike de Jong on a tour of Mills Memorial to show him the condition of the facility.
"So gratitude is a big word that comes for me," said Leclerc. "It just feels very emotional today to finally see that we have the efforts of the councils, the First Nations, coming together to make sure the northwest is a better place with a brand new hospital because we deserve it."
"And it was [NDP health minister] Adrian Dix who came up and he made the announcement over at the [old) hospital a few years ago. It was good to see that this thing was starting to get across the [finish] line."
Eby next spoke at Zimmerman's campaign office, saying the North West Resource Benefits Alliance grant of $250 million divided over the next five years between 21 local governments will help them cope with the impact of resource development.
"Here in Terrace it resulted in road paving and pothole repair, critically important things. It always gets a bit of a chuckle, but trust me this is a critically important quality of life issue and it's something that every local government should be able to do to provide a service for their people," he said of the grant announced earlier this year.
Terrace mayor Sean Bujtas added to Eby's remarks by recalling 2018 when he became one of three co-chairs of the alliance and received a commitment from then-NDP Premier John Horgan that his government would negotiate a deal.
He said some relief arrived with $100 million from the province for northwestern local governments in 2019 with a further $50 million sent in 2020.
"So it really started to get the ball rolling to do things, but the work wasn't completed," Bujtas said.
Following COVID, Bujtas said what he called a "strong" conversation with NDP cabinet minister and Bulkley Valley - Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen in 2023 resulted in this year's $250 million grant.
"This is a big dig deal in our community," said Bujtas of the $35 million Terrace will get over the next five years.
Bujtas prefaced his remarks by saying he was not endorsing any candidate, but he did call Eby 'a friend.'
Aside from Zimmerman, Tamara Davidson running in the North Coast - Haida Gwaii riding, Nathan Cullen in Bulkley Valley - Stikine and Murphy Abraham in Nechako Lakes were the other NDP candidates appearing with Eby.
Kitselas First Nation Chief Councillor Glenn Bennett provided the Indigenous greeting at Eby's first event.
"We look forward to working with Sarah [Zimmerman] and the BC NDP party," Bennett said.
