New building for Burnaby Hospital's cancer centre named after donor

New cancer centre at Burnaby Hospital named after donor

Construction progress on the first phase (Jim Pattison Surgery Centre) of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment, as of April 1, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The future BC Cancer Centre at Burnaby Hospital will be named after the McCarthy family to honour their $5 million donation toward the facility.

According to the BC Cancer Foundation, the “BC Cancer — Burnaby McCarthy Centre” is the first BC Cancer centre to be named in honour of philanthropic support to the foundation.

Members of the McCarthy family of local real estate firm WPJ McCarthy and Company have also been a prominent part of the foundation for many years, including John McCarthy, who is the chair of the foundation’s board of directors and a leader of the organization’s ongoing $500 million fundraising campaign to transform cancer care and research across BC.

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Cancer illness has also directly touched their family. John’s great-grandmother passed away from the disease in 1970, and his great-grandfather subsequently created a fund in the 1980s to support cancer research. In 2012, they donated $21.4 million to the foundation, which was the largest charitable bequest in BC’s history at the time.

“This donation is not just an investment in the healthcare infrastructure of our region, but also a tribute to my great grandfather’s and my parent’s belief in the power of community. We hope this contribution inspires others to support the vital work of the BC Cancer Foundation, ensuring that the residents of Burnaby and beyond have access to world-class cancer care and treatment,” said John in a statement today.

Bill McCarthy, John’s father, adds, “Burnaby is our home and we’re proud to give back – always.”

The family’s latest donation brings the foundation’s $10 million campaign for Burnaby Hospital’s new cancer centre past the halfway mark.

“The McCarthys have been incredible advocates for bringing a BC Cancer centre to Burnaby,” said Sarah Roth, president and CEO of BC Cancer Foundation. “We’re grateful for their generosity and leadership as we bring this long-time vision of BC Cancer – Burnaby to life.”

Existing condition:

Existing condition of the 1950s-built west wing of Burnaby Hospital. (Google Maps)

Future condition:

2023 artistic rendering of the second phase (including the BC Cancer Centre) of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. (Burnaby Hospital Foundation/Fraser Health Authority)

BC Cancer — Burnaby McCarthy Centre will be built as part of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment’s second phase, with construction targeted to begin in 2025 for an opening and completion in 2030. Fraser Health Authority is expected to select the project’s main contractor later this spring or early summer.

The second phase’s building will be constructed at the northwest quadrant of the hospital campus, replacing the 1950s-built west wing of the hospital.

The second phase is the larger of two redevelopment phases, with the second phase carrying a cost of $1.7 billion and the first phase carrying a cost of $700 million. Combined, the entire Burnaby Hospital redevelopment is pegged at $2.4 billion.

Location of the first phase (Keith & Betty Beedie Pavilion) of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. (Burnaby Hospital Foundation/Fraser Health Authority)

Location of the second phase (including the BC Cancer Centre) of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. (Burnaby Hospital Foundation/Fraser Health Authority)

The new building for the second phase will include the new Keith and Betty Beedie Acute Care tower with 140 beds, the new cancer centre, new medical imaging department, a further expansion of the emergency department, and endoscopy renovations.

As for the first phase, it is roughly at the halfway mark in its construction timeline, which first began in 2021 and is scheduled to reach completion and open in 2026.

The new six-storey building of the first phase is currently being constructed at the southern side of the hospital campus, fronting Kincaid Street and just west of the parkade.

burnaby hospital redevelopment phase 1 construction april 1 2024

Construction progress on the first phase (Jim Pattison Surgery Centre) of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment as of April 1, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

This initial new building includes 83 beds in mainly single-patient rooms with private bathrooms, a mental health and addictions treatment unit, a maternity unit, a neonatal intensive care unit, an infectious control unit, and a new main entrance for the hospital. Other components of the first phase include an initial expansion for the emergency department, more operating rooms and procedure rooms, expanded pre-operative and post-operative recovery spaces, a new medical device reprocessing department, and a new energy centre.

The first phase’s building, reaching completion in 2026, will be named the Keith & Betty Beedie Pavilion in honour of the $8 million donation in 2020 by the Beedie family of real estate development firm Beedie Group. The surgical facility within the new pavilion building will be named the Jim Pattison Surgery Centre to honour Jim Pattison’s 2022 donation of $5 million to the Burnaby Hospital Foundation.

Burnaby Hospital currently sees about 200,000 patients annually, including 83,000 visits to the emergency department.

Artistic rendering of the 2022 revised design of the first phase (Keith & Betty Beedie Pavilion) of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. (Burnaby Hospital Foundation/Fraser Health Authority)

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