qathet, BC – On February 29, 2024, the Ministry of Health provided the Powell River Regional Hospital District with Supplemental Letters Patent, officially changing the name to qathet Regional Hospital District. Effective immediately, the Powell River Regional Hospital District will henceforth be known as the qathet Regional Hospital District.

This name change was initiated to provide more clarity around the purpose of the Regional Hospital District to act as a funding mechanism for hospital and healthcare services throughout the region, and the Tla’amin Nation. Upon written request, the Tla’amin Nation offered that the Regional Hospital District Board consider the name of ‘qathet’ for the Regional Hospital District.

The Powell River Regional Hospital District was incorporated by letters patent pursuant to the Regional Hospital District Act (‘the Act’) on December 19, 1967. The Act provides that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council may amend the letters patent of a regional hospital district to change the name.

“We see this name change as an opportunity to support an inclusive and welcoming environment, and improve public awareness of the regional boundaries of the qRHD,” said George Doubt, qathet Regional Hospital Board Chair. “Given that the name change was a known concern and was likely to have a significant impact, the Board and Province requested public input prior to making the decision. As Directors, we take our orders from the public, and the majority of those who responded, did so in support of a name change.”

About the qathet Regional Hospital District: The qathet Regional Hospital District does not operate hospital facilities but does contribute to health services in our region. The qathet Regional Hospital District owns Willingdon Creek Village Complex Care Facility and the former Saint John’s Ambulance building on Arbutus Street, which is currently leased to Miklat Recovery House Society. The qathet Regional Hospital District has provided hospital district lands to support the development of emergency supportive housing and designated the remainder of undeveloped campus of care lands for future health care needs. Regional Hospital District boundaries include the qathet Regional District, City of Powell River, and Tla’amin Nation. In accordance with legislation, Regional Hospital District Board members are the qathet Regional District Board members, and a member from the Tla’amin Nation. For more information on the qathet Regional Hospital District, please visit qathet.ca/regional-hospital-district.

Project Background:

On September 23, 2021, the Regional Hospital District Board passed a motion to investigate the possibility of changing the name of the Regional Hospital District to something that more appropriately reflects the larger regional area served by the Regional Hospital District.

At the same meeting, the Regional Hospital District Board received correspondence from Peter Pokorny, Associate Deputy Minister with the Ministry of Health, outlining the process required for considering a name change. This included establishing a rationale for changing the name, providing opportunities for public engagement, consulting with key actors including First Nations, and then submitting a request for the name change with the result of the engagement to the Minister for review. At the March 30, 2022 Regional Hospital District Meeting, the Regional Hospital Board passed a motion to move forward with soliciting public feedback through legislated public notice, as well as consultation through correspondence.

Advertisements outlining how the public could submit feedback on the proposed name change were placed for two consecutive weeks in the Powell River Peak and Parksville-Qualicum Beach News, in qathet Living, Texada Island Express Lines, Lasqueti.ca, and sent to Our Isle and Times and Lasqueti Local. An advertisement was also posted on the Public Notice Posting Board at the Regional District Office, available on the Regional District’s website, and posted to the Tla’amin Nation Facebook page.

To help inform the public about commonly mistaken information and questions, staff prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document and included it on our project webpage on the qathet Regional District website.

Letters requesting feedback were sent to key actors including the qRHD’s member municipality, the City of Powell River, as well as neighbouring communities, First Nations, Vancouver Coastal Health, First Nations Health Authority, and provincial and federal elected officials and ministries. Three responses from key actors were received. The correspondence in support of the name change totaled 48 from a total of 51 residents. Correspondence in opposition to the name change totaled 33 from a total of 37 residents.