BY AMAN SINGH
NDP MLA for Richmond-Queensborough
WHEN Premier David Eby and my BCNDP colleagues travelled to Richmond last week for a tour to meet with some community leaders and discuss how to best support British Columbians, I knew that they would be inspired by everything the community has to offer.
Richmond is a vibrant, growing community rich with culture, and has thriving non-profit, tourism, and tech sectors. From markets to cafes to fresh seafood, there is something here for everyone. It’s a true honour to represent the voice of the Richmond-Queensborough community, and their calls for action on things like healthcare.
As you may know, in 2014, Vancouver Coastal Health had to make the tough decision to close Lions Manor to keep its residents safe. Unfortunately, the BC Liberals made no commitment to replacing it, leaving residents and their loved ones in limbo. Since then, my fellow Richmond BCNDP MLAs and I have been advocating for our government to fill this gap in our community.
And last week, I was pleased to join Premier Eby and Minister Adrian Dix alongside MLAs Kelly Greene and Henry Yao to make the important announcement that we’re bringing long-term care back to Richmond.
The newly built Richmond Lions Manor-Fentiman will be owned and operated by our Health Authority. It will be an eight-storey campus of care, offering 144 long-term care beds and 14 hospice beds for people in our community and beyond, providing people with the support they need to stay happy and healthy.
The home will also include an adult day program and overnight respite that will allow people to live independently for as long as safely possible, while ensuring they have the support and care they need that will allow them to age with dignity.
Right now, we’re expecting this project to be completed in 2028, while we continue to make investments in healthcare, such as repatriating healthcare workers and making it easier for them to get the training they need to deliver quality care faster, we’re also making progress on Richmond Hospital.
In addition to making progress in healthcare, I also had the opportunity to chat with folks on their doorstep to learn about the issues that matter to them, as well as meet with workers at BC Building Trades, and tour the grounds of the Steveston Interchange worksite with Ministers Rob Fleming and Dan Coulter.
Still, there is more work to do, and I look forward to working with my BCNDP colleagues to invest in communities like Richmond.