Work to begin on new B.C. health centre, owned and operated by Sts'ailes First Nation

Chief Ralph Leon (Saw-ahkw) of the Sts'ailes First Nation, talks with B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, during a groundbreaking and traditional ceremony for a new Sts'ailes primary healthcare facility, in Harrison Mills, B.C., on Friday, March 17, 2023. The Sts'ailes Community Care Campus will be owned and operated by the First Nation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Harrison Mills, B.C. -

A community in British Columbia's Lower Fraser Valley is one step closer to having its own Indigenous-led health centre.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Harrison Mills for the planned Sts'ailes Community Care Campus, which will be owned and operated by the Sts'ailes First Nation.

Clinic director Angela George says the facility is an opportunity to restore Indigenous ways around health and wellness while weaving it together with the best of today's medicines.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the centre will have doctors and nurses as well as traditional healers and allied health professionals to provide a blend of contemporary medical care and culturally appropriate health and wellness services to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

He says the project reaffirms the government's commitment to long-standing reconciliation and collaboration with First Nations partners.

The Sts'ailes intend to begin construction of the permanent facility this year while providing some services from a temporary location in Agassiz, B.C., at their administration building.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2023.