Some seniors in Fort St. John are disappointed in the province’s decision to cancel an expansion at the Peace Villa long-term care home.

It’s a consequence of the 2026 provincial budget, which has delayed plans for seven senior’s care facilities across British Columbia. 

Northeast B.C. seniors advocate Margaret Little says the 84 new beds planned were greatly needed, as Peace Villa serves the needs of communities all the way to Yukon and Alberta borders.

“I was absolutely devastated. I was devastated for the families, for the people who are sitting up in the hospital right now waiting to go into Peace Villa,” she said.

According to the City of Fort St. John, the community’s seniors population has more than doubled over the last three decades.

While a new 115-unit independent living apartment block for seniors is under construction in the city, demand for new assisted living and long-term care facilities is only growing.

According to Little, 74 people were waiting for a bed at Peace Villa in January, including 15 waiting in the hospital.

“Some of them have dementia and cannot be left alone in their homes,” Little said. 

“There’s nobody to look after them. If you have money, yes, you can hire somebody to be there 24/7. But if you have people who need a lot of help, you can’t do that.”

Northern Health operates Peace Villa, and says it manages 127 long-term care beds and one respite bed.

“Access to long-term care is assessed on a priority basis, considering the individual needs, current supports and urgency of each client’s situation,” wrote the health authority in a statement.

“Clients may be offered an interim care home while waiting for their preferred care home.”

For Ruby McBeth, her husband Lorne waited almost a year in hospital before they finally secured a bed for him at Peace Villa last month.

“The care home is being maintained as a wonderful place,” McBeth said.

“It has good leadership … but the hospital is suffering.”

She’s worried projects in the north might not get the same priority as sites in other parts of B.C.

“I don’t blame necessarily this government. I think this has been a problem that’s gone on for a long time through various governments,” she said.

“It’s a little too easy for them to make a decision down south.”

Little says the number of people waiting for long-term care has increased 200% over the last decade, while the average wait time for a bed increased to 290 days.

The province says it’s putting future plans on hold while it looks for ways to build long-term care facilities more efficiently.

They also announced it was expanding a virtual long-term care at home program, for up to 2,700 seniors by 2028.

“Meeting the needs of a growing and aging population means delivering care in smarter, more flexible ways, including right in seniors’ homes,” stated health minister Josie Osborne in a news release.

Little says the issue with a lack of care home space is not new, and often forces residents to leave the community.

In the 1950s, her husband’s grandparents left the Peace region for the Okanagan to get the care they needed. They never returned due to a lack of available space at local facilities.

“It’s difficult because people have jobs, families are working, families are stretched to the max,” she said.

“It’s hard to know that your loved one is away and you don’t have that contact.”

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