The B.C. government announced a new long-term care home will be coming to Quesnel in late 2028. The facility will be located at 345 Roddis Drive in West Quesnel with land provided by the city of Quesnel.
The facility will comprised of 288 beds, with 67 beds from the Dunroven Park Lodge facility being replaced. Construction is expected to begin Fall 2026.
"It's a very significant long-term care project that will be built and operated by Providence Living," B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix told the Observer. He said that upcoming projects will add 680 long-term care beds to the existing 1,176 across northern B.C. "It's one of the biggest capital projects ever done in Quesnel. That reflects how important we think long-term care is in support of the hospital in particular."
The design will be made up of "households" accommodating 12 residents each. Residents will have access to private bedrooms and washrooms but with social spaces such as kitchens and living rooms. There will also be activity areas and outdoor spaces for seniors to enjoy.
It will include a 32-space adult day program which will support seniors living in their own homes. The program will allow seniors to get social connections as well as health and wellness check-ups.
"Before I became minister of health the province spent about $17.8 million on long-term care capital. In our 10-year plan there's $3.2 billion," Dix said.
"Just to give you a sense of what the cost of the project would be, similar projects now are costing between $900K and $1.6 million a bed," he said. The facility will be funded through partnership agreements with Northern Health and Providence Living.
The senior population in B.C. has grown from 18 per cent in 2018 to nearly 20 per cent of the population in 2024. Long-term care homes provide spaces to accommodate and support seniors who can no longer live independently and require services and support from trained staff.
