
Kamloops Councillor Mike O'Reilly
The Chair of the Thompson Regional Hospital District says he’s confident there won’t be communication breakdowns when it comes to the cancer centre project.
Mike O’Reilly says communication with the health authority has improved, after concerns were raised as the second phase of renovations at Royal Inland Hospital came in $40 million over budget, with the hospital board asked to pay $16 million of that with little to no consultation.
The hospital board declined to pay that amount, with the province now picking up the entire tab.
“We were very clear from the TRHD that that wasn’t acceptable,” O’Reilly said. “That that can’t continue going forward, and its a good working relationship that we’re able to lay these things on the table, and things that we need as a board and what our expectations are.”
For its part, Interior Health said it was not withholding information about those cost overruns, noting the breakdown in communication was due to a “hectic time” as work progressed.
“We heard the conversation on the communication that was not adequate on our part,” an apologetic Todd Mastel, Interior Health’s Corporate Director of Business Operations, said in June. “That will not happen on the Kamloops Cancer Centre project.”
O’Reilly also said he has been given reassurances that Interior Health will be more transparent with the cancer care centre project.
“I do meet along with CAO [Scott] Hildebrand and Interior Health at least every three months minimum, and we have this conversations and dialogue back and forth,” O’Reilly added. “We don’t always agree on things but nonetheless the communications channels are much better and I would expect them to be for this project going forward.”
“I certainly hear concerns given how things have been done in the past and its hard not to look back at the past, but I’m trying to look forward. I’m an eternal optimist but I do believe the communication has improved and I think Interior Health feels the same way.”
The Thompson Regional Hospital District voted to borrow $45 million to pay for its share of the $359-million cancer care centre in Kamloops, which is expected to be substantially completed by 2028.
It was asked to but declined to pay $51.6 million, which would have amounted to 40 per cent of the cost to pay for MRI equipment, a new 470-stall parkade, and the upgrades to existing cancer services offered in Kamloops.