Friday, May 22, 2026
The new Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower at Royal Columbian Hospital will open for patients on May 31, 2026, bringing quicker access to specialized, life-saving treatment to people in the Lower Mainland and throughout the province.
“This new tower at Royal Columbian Hospital will give people throughout B.C. faster access to specialized, life-saving care, with a new emergency department, expanded inpatient units, modern operating rooms and enhanced cardiac, maternity and newborn services,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “It builds on Phase 1 of the hospital redevelopment, which opened in early 2020, and added a new mental- health centre, inpatient beds, seniors care, and advanced medical technology. Investments in modern health facilities are creating more space for care and helping people get treatment when they need it most.”
Once the new tower opens, Royal Columbian Hospital will be the only hospital in B.C. with expanded trauma, cardiac care, neurosurgery, high-risk obstetrics, neonatal intensive care and acute mental health care on one site.
The new 388-bed, 10-storey tower will feature :
- a new, larger emergency department with 75 treatment spaces and a satellite medical imaging unit that will reduce travel times for procedures
- a 47-bed intensive care unit, featuring a dedicated smudging room to provide a culturally safe space for Indigenous families
- a new 17-bed cardiac intensive care unit
- medical inpatient beds spanning five floors
- 48-bed obstetrics unit, co-located with a neonatal intensive care unit, which will include two obstetrical operating rooms
- 17 new operating rooms and interventional radiology and cardiac suites that will connect to the existing Health Care Centre to create an interventional “super floor”
- modern medical device reprocessing department
- a 356-stall underground parkade, and a 117-stall surface parking lot
“Today’s announcement is about the people and families who will receive care here, the teams who will support them, and the many partners who helped bring the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower to life. This new, modern facility expands access to specialized care for our growing communities and strengthens our ability to meet their needs now and into the future. Thank you to our staff, medical staff, partners, and community for making this possible and for the care you provide every day,” said Dermot Kelly, president and CEO, Fraser Health.
The tower will open in two stages.
On May 31, the hospital will launch the new emergency department, medical-surgical inpatient units, intensive care unit, cardiac intensive care unit, satellite medical imaging, main entrance and parking facilities.
This fall, the obstetrics unit, pediatrics unit, neonatal intensive care unit, operating rooms, interventional radiology and cardiology suites, and a cardiac surgery intensive care unit will open.
Phase 1 of the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment opened in 2020. It included a new mental-health and substance-use wellness centre (with inpatient and outpatient services, including a specialized unit for seniors care), energy centre and parkade. This phase expanded access to mental-health and substance-use care and improved hospital services and facilities.
“People in New Westminster and throughout the province will benefit from the increased capacity, advanced technology, and thoughtfully designed spaces in the new acute care tower,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “Patients and families were involved throughout the design process and will benefit from enhanced health-care services in spaces that support patient safety, privacy and comfort.”
The new tower is the second phase of the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment project. Phase 1 included the opening of the mental-health and substance-use wellness centre and energy centre. Phase 2 and 3 of the redevelopment are estimated to be nearly $2 billion with contributions from the Province, Fraser Health and the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. The tower is named after well-known business leader and philanthropist Jim Pattison, who donated $30 million to the project.
Phase 3 will include upgrades to the existing health-care centre and Columbia Tower to support the beds and services added in Phase 2. Those renovations are expected to be complete in 2029.
Featured image: (BC Government)
