Whereas regional hospital districts were created under the Hospital District Act to raise a local share of capital costs for hospital equipment and buildings through property taxation; And whereas the Province is moving towards making other provincial services such as transportation totally a provincial responsibility; And whereas the current standard practice for capital infrastructure projects is a cost sharing formula of 40 for regional hospital districts and 60 for the Province, resulting in unsustainable continuous increases to local property taxation levies for regional hospital districts: Therefore be it resolved that the provincial government review the method of using property tax revenue for funding health care infrastructure projects and formally reduce the expectation placed on regional hospital districts.
Ministry of Health The Hospital District Act the Act is a legislative framework for regional hospital districts RHDs and their roles and responsibilities. The Ministry is aware that some RHDs have requested a review of, and amendments to, the Act to clarify a number of issues, including funding. The Ministry recognizes that the Act and its regulation need to be updated and aligned with current practices and supports RHDs efforts to improve efficiency and effectiveness in funding health care infrastructure projects. When there is an opportunity to amend the Act, consultations with all stakeholders, including RHDs and the Union of BC Municipalities, will be part of the process. RHDs continue to be key partners in building local healthcare infrastructure. Health authorities work with their RHDs to determine what level of cost-sharing may be possible for specific projects within their approved capital plans. The Province continues to expect a regional contribution towards health capital projects of 40 percent.