John Rustad Announces Plan for New Children’s Hospital in Surrey
John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, has announced a plan to build a new Children’s Hospital in Surrey as part of the party’s Patients First model. The new hospital will include a pediatric emergency room (ER), maternity ward, women’s health centre, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and the first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the Fraser Health area.
hospital will be located at 164 St. and Fraser Hwy., a short walk from the future Bakerview SkyTrain station, making it easily accessible to Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and even the BC interior.
Why Surrey Needs a Children’s Hospital:
Pediatric Healthcare Shortage: Nearly 45% of all children in BC live in the Fraser Health Authority area, yet the region lacks a dedicated pediatric hospital. The current healthcare infrastructure is insufficient to meet the growing demand.
Overburdened ER: Surrey Memorial’s pediatric ER treats approximately 50,000 children annually, but it was originally designed to treat only 20,000 patients. Demand is increasing by 8-10% every year, putting immense strain on the system.
Critical Care Deficiency: The Fraser Health region currently has no Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), forcing critically ill children to be transferred to BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) in Vancouver. Each year, 900-1000 children, or approximately 2.5 per day, are transferred from Surrey to BCCH for life-saving care.
Risk of Delayed Care: The first hour of care is the most critical for a child’s survival, yet these transfers often cause dangerous delays that increase the risk of mortality. Bed capacity at BCCH and traffic across Metro Vancouver further increase the risk of delays.
Maternity Care Overload: Surrey Memorial delivers more than 6,000 babies annually, but it only has the capacity for 5,000, resulting in over 1,000 mothers being diverted to other hospitals. As Surrey’s population continues to grow toward 1 million residents, this crisis will worsen.
Newborn Care: Most newborns requiring critical care must be transferred to BCCH due to a shortage of comprehensive Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) capacity in Surrey.
The new hospital will be designed to serve the needs of the region’s rapidly expanding population. Key features of the hospital include:
State-of-the-Art Pediatric ER: A fully equipped pediatric emergency room designed to handle the increasing demand for child healthcare services in the region.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU): The first PICU in the Fraser Health region, eliminating the need for risky and delayed transfers to Vancouver.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): A dedicated NICU for newborns requiring critical care, ensuring families can stay close to home during difficult times.
Maternity Ward and Women’s Health Centre: A comprehensive care facility for mothers and newborns, designed to meet the needs of Surrey’s growing population.
The 18-acre site at Fraser Hwy and 164 St. is city-owned and located adjacent to the future Bakerview SkyTrain station and Surrey Rec Centre. This central location will provide easy access for residents of Surrey and surrounding communities, reducing the need for families to cross Metro Vancouver for pediatric care.
“Surrey is home to nearly half of the children in British Columbia, yet the NDP has failed to provide the resources this community needs,” said Rustad. “Our new Children’s Hospital will ensure that Surrey families have access to world-class healthcare without having to travel long distances during critical emergencies.”
The hospital will be operated by the Provincial Health Services Authority and will focus on providing timely, high-quality, and accessible care to the growing number of children and mothers in Surrey and surrounding communities.
“We’re committed to building a healthcare system that works for all British Columbians, especially the families who have been underserved for far too long,” Rustad concluded. “This hospital is about saving lives, improving care, and ensuring that the next generation of British Columbians grows up with the healthcare they deserve.”
John Rustad’s “Learning-First Education” Plan to restore letter grades and standardized provincial exams
John Rustad announced a bold Learning-First Education plan aimed to get back to the fundamentals of learning. “Under the NDP, BC students’ performance in math, reading, and science has plummeted, and parents are left in the dark about their children’s progress. The Learning-First Education plan focuses on core skills, transparency, and real support for students, leaving behind the ideological distractions that have led to declining educational standards,” he said.
The Learning-First Education plan will:
Restore letter grades for students from Grade 4 through 9 to give parents clear insight into their child’s performance.
Reinstate standardized provincial exams for Grade 10 and 12 students, providing consistent measurement of student and school achievement.
Expand programs for academically gifted students to support those who excel and ensure they receive the resources they need to thrive.
End SOGI 123 and replace it with effective anti-bullying programs that protect all students.
Respect parental rights by ensuring that parents are informed of any significant ideations expressed by their child.
Remove classroom material that instills guilt based on ethnicity, nationality, or religion, focusing instead on uplifting students and helping them thrive.
The Learning-First Education plan will also restore the School Liaison Officers program to keep kids safe and build positive connections between schools and local law enforcement and empower teachers and school administrators to maintain discipline in classrooms and ensure disruptive behavior is addressed.
Rustad Commits to Supporting Food Banks and Community Kitchens in Crisis
John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, today voiced serious concerns about the growing crisis in food banks and community kitchens across the province. The Surrey Urban Mission only needs $10 per day per person to maintain their operations. Without this funding, they will be forced to close their doors before the end of the year, leaving countless people without access to one of the only lifelines available to them.
Rustad promised that, under his leadership, reliable, ongoing funding would be secured to keep these vital services operating, and he emphasized the need for support for Community Connections Workers, who provide critical on-the-ground assistance to those in need. “We will not allow these essential services to fail. The Conservatives are committed to delivering the financial support required to ensure food banks and community kitchens across the province can continue their invaluable work, and we will provide the stable, ongoing funding needed to keep them running,” Rustad stated.
