Stantec to design new BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

NANAIMO, BC – Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has been selected to design the new C$289 million BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). The new cancer centre will bring radiation treatment closer to home for patients and families in communities on central and north Vancouver Island.

Recognizing the psychological impact a treatment facility can have on a person with cancer care needs, the design of the new BC Cancer Centre will focus on optimizing the patient care journey and access to natural light and views.

The new, four-storey building will provide radiation therapy, including a CT simulator and linear accelerator vaults to provide radiation treatment. The centre will also offer an outpatient oncology ambulatory care unit with exam rooms and consult rooms, a PET/CT diagnostic scanner, systemic therapy, an oncology pharmacy and outpatient dispensary, and a sacred space.

Preliminary site work will get underway in March, with construction expected to begin in the fall of 2025 and finish in 2028.

The new centre, a partnership of  BC Cancer, Provincial Health Services Authority, and Island Health, is part of British Columbia’s 10-year Cancer Action Plan to better prevent, detect, and treat cancers, improving care for people facing cancer now while preparing for the growing needs of the future. 

Learn more about the new BC Cancer Centre at NRGH.

Long partnership between Nanaimo and Stantec

Stantec has successfully delivered more than 25 projects for the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital site in the past 15 years. Significant collaborations include the award-winning emergency and psychiatric emergency departments, Thermal Energy Centre, intensive care unit, kidney clinic and renal dialysis unit, pharmacy, and additional building systems replacements and smaller renovations. Most recently, Island Health selected Stantec to design three new long-term care homes to provide more timely and accessible care for the Vancouver Island community.

“Our integrated design team is honoured to continue our work creating healthy spaces that support the human experience and patient journey back to wellness. With roughly 3,500 people in the region diagnosed with cancer annually, Nanaimo’s new cancer centre will have a substantial impact on the local community,” said Tariq Amlani, global health sector leader for Stantec. “Our design will accommodate the expansion of patient care and education needs to make the centre more accessible to patients, visitors, and staff.”

Improving health through design

Stantec is the world’s leading expert in the design of cancer centres, with a dedicated team that has delivered more than 120 facilities around the globe, including over 30 specialty centers dedicated to proton therapy. The firm was recently awarded the Ben Stelter Proton Facility and Neuroscience Centre of Excellence in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada’s first cancer care facility offering proton therapy. Other noteworthy projects designed by Stantec include the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Center in Calgary, Alberta; MD Anderson Cancer Center New Proton Therapy Center Expansion in Houston, Texas; New York Proton Center in New York, New York; Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center in Washington, DC; UCSF Bakar Precision Cancer Medicine Building in San Francisco, California; Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio; Hamdan Bin Rashid Cancer Hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Hefei Particle Therapy Medical Center in Hefei City, China.

Learn more about Stantec’s cancer care design work.