Cariboo Memorial Hospital

The sounds of Indigenous drumming and song carried throughout the construction site of the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) Redevelopment Project Friday morning, April 4, as a traditional smudging ceremony took place.

In all, about 48,000 square feet of space over three floors of the Phase 1 construction site was blessed with a sage, cedar and juniper smudge and water. Construction paused to allow Nation partners to complete this important work.

Valerie West of Williams Lake First Nation was on hand for the blessing and said the feeling of being included in the CMH Redevelopment Project as meaningful partners was hard to describe.

Photo left: Frederick Johnson uses a mixture of sage, juniper and cedar to smudge construction areas in the new tower at CMH.
Photo right: Valerie West of Williams Lake First Nation drums and sings during the traditional blessing.

“It’s been life-changing,” said Valerie, who, along with others on site, were thrilled to learn the cultural practice of smudging will be able to take place in all but two rooms in redevelopment.

Frederick Johnson, who also assisted with the smudging along with Jacinta Sampson, Cecil Grinder, Danikka Murphy and William Lulua, said being able to bless out any negative emotions, fear or uncertainty “is going to be better overall for all the workers and the patients, everyone.”

As part of the CMH Redevelopment Project in Williams Lake, Interior Health has been engaging with Nation Partners and Indigenous communities who access the site.

A key takeaway from these conversations has been the importance of smudging the new tower before construction is complete to bring blessings and good medicine into the space.

With construction underway, it's important to honour this direction from community voices. Interior Health will continue to work alongside the Indigenous communities surrounding Williams Lake as the project progresses to meaningfully integrate representation that supports cultural safety with the aim of improving access to care.

Photo caption: (L-R) Danikka Murphy, William Lulua, and Dusty Phillips used smudging and water to bless the construction site at CMH April 4 during a ceremony which included Indigenous drumming and singing.

The community of Williams Lake is going to be part of the excitement every time a baby is born in the city once the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) redevelopment is complete next year.

That’s because one of the many new features in the new, state-of-art facility includes a button in each maternity room that families can push to activate coloured lights and a chime to announce the arrival of a new baby.

“After the baby is born, a dad, a partner, a sibling can come over here and push a button that will sound the chime to announce the birth of the baby throughout the entire building,” said Lisa Ryll, manager, clinical operations, during a tour of the new maternity unit last month. Lisa was part of the capital planning team for the CMH redevelopment.

“Or, they can push the button for a certain colour that will light up the stairwell and every unit to let us all know a baby has been born. It can be blue or pink or any other colour they like.”

The lights will be able to be seen inside the new expansion at every nursing care team station. Additionally, the community will also be able to see the lights lit up on the external stairwells of the hospital.

Looking at the maternity department in construction at CMH

Having the chimes and lights as part of the redevelopment was a passion project for Lisa when she worked on it.

“The birth of a new baby is a big deal. Having the chimes sound makes everyone pause and reflect that a new life was born. Also, I think it reminds everyone that hospitals are not just about sickness and dying, they are also a place where really positive things happen, and the birth of a new baby is one of those.”

Tina Pole, who has been the clinical operations manager for the maternity unit at CMH since 2023, says she is very excited to see the new unit and the many improvements, which will include four single room maternity care (SRMC) rooms where expectant moms will labour, deliver, receive post-partum care and be discharged from. Each room has a full private bathroom with bathtubs and showers, ample space and bright windows overlooking the city.

Additionally, the maternity unit will also have two women’s health rooms and two nursery rooms.

“I think that it’s super cool that the community is going to be a part of us celebrating a baby being born and a new life coming into the world when they see the lights at the hospital,” Tina said.

More than more than 365 babies are born every year on average at CMH.

Photo caption: (L-R) Lisa Ryll, Brad Mackendrick and Tina Pole take a tour the CMH redevelopment last month.

Members of the CMH redevelopment team are happy to have a replica model of the popular crane used for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital construction on display in their office.

“We were sad that the real crane was going away, so my boyfriend 3D-printed us a crane to have in our office,” said project coordinator Dayna Goochey.

All told, the crane was on site at CMH for more than a year and became an exciting part of the skyline in Williams Lake.

“It’s great." said project manager Brad MacKendrick. "It looks so much like the original one and now I can keep it and have memories of the one and only crane in Williams Lake.”

Photo caption: Brad MacKendrick (L) and project coordinator Dayna Goochey hold a replica of the crane used in the first phase of construction.

As the redevelopment and construction of the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) continues, the ongoing goal is to create a space that is culturally safe, welcoming to all, and honours traditional healing and ceremony.

To support this endevour, the CMH Redevelopment Project Team is hosting three Indigenous engagement sessions in April for Ulkatcho, Tŝideldel, and Tl'etinqox Nation community members.

• Ulkatcho: Tuesday, April 1 from 12-4 p.m. at Community Center Elders Lounge
• Tŝideldel: Wednesday, April 2 from 12-4 p.m. at Tŝideldel Health Clinic, Community Health Room
• Tl'etinqox: Thursday, April 3
  • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for Elders & Council Members at Tl'etinqox Health Clinic, Community Health Room
  • 12-3 p.m. All Community at Tl'etinqox Health Clinic, Community Health Room

These engagement sessions will seek feedback on and inform the Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment on the following:

• Traditional language and phrases
• Choice of animal pictographs on outside of hospital
• Choice of plants for the harvestable garden

Areas of the hospital that will benefit from this feedback include the new emergency department, medical/surgical unit, and expanded maternity and women’s health unit (2026). In future, the main lobby and registration, ambulatory care, UBC Faculty of Medicine, adult psychiatry unit (2029).

Provincial Language Services (PLS) Indigenous representatives are also working on an Indigenous Language Access Pilot at Cariboo Memorial Hospital to fill gaps in language services. Check out the Indigenous Language Access Final Report.

Excitement continues to mount around the redevelopment project at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.

Amidst the sounds of a busy construction zone, CMH staff were given tours last week of the work that is well underway. Brad Mackendrick, senior project manager and Ashley DaCosta, clinical lead of capital projects, toured staff through Phase 1, which included stops in the new emergency department, inpatient unit and maternity unit.

Phase 1, which focuses on new construction, began in April 2023 and is expected to be complete in late 2026, while Phase 2, with a 2026 start date, includes renovations to the existing hospital.

CMH Chief of Staff Dr. Jacques Neuhoff was one of the first to tour the building, which includes a new emergency department, an expanded maternity and women’s health unit, a new inpatient unit, and all new medical and surgical beds, to name a few of the many features.

“Having an opportunity to walk through the building makes me very excited for opening day and when we can start using the space, said Dr. Neuhoff. “This is going to make a big difference for patient care and for everybody working here. It will be a major improvement.”

Most of the rooms will be single patient rooms within the inpatient unit, and the emergency department will also have more rooms integrated into the design for privacy.

Photo caption: Ashley DaCosta (from left) leads a tour of the CMH redevelopment project with hospital staff Roshni Rana, Lisa Ryll, Leah Martin, Ruth Weir and Tina Pole.

Williams Lake officially said farewell to the CMH crane on Sunday, Jan. 12. The 200-foot-tall crane was dismantled during the weekend, signaling a substantial construction milestone in Phase 1 of the CMH redevelopment project.

“Now that steel and concrete framework of the building is complete, we will begin external wall finishing and move to the interior phases of the project—this is a very exiting time,” senior project manager Brad MacKendrick shared.

The new building is approximately 9,300 square metres, including a basement. It will help expand services in the emergency, medical/surgical, maternity and pharmacy departments.

Next steps in the project include completing interior construction, such as mechanical, electrical, walls, equipment, and more. Phase 1 is expected to finish in late 2026. Phase 2, which includes renovations to the existing hospital, will begin in late 2026 and is scheduled to be complete in early 2029.

"The crane dismantling went very smoothly with no hiccups occurring,” Brad added. “Thank you to staff and the public for continued patience as site impacts occurred through this significant redevelopment project."

As the sun rises over the city Sunday morning, Jan. 12, crews dismantled the crane which has been on site at CMH over the past year.

After being a part of the city skyline for the past year, the crane at CMH will be moving on in the new year.

Adorned with Christmas lights for the holiday season, the crane is currently the tallest structure in the city. The crane has been a welcomed addition in Williams Lake, as its arrival signaled the start of the construction of the main structure of the CMH redevelopment project.

Crane work will wrap up at the end of December, and the crane will be disassembled in early January.

Project manager Brad Mackendrick said the dismantling of the construction crane marks the end of the phase of the project which involves the completion of the main structure.

“We are now moving forward with the interior fit-out phase,” said Brad.

Christmas lights shine brightly over the city from the crane at CMH for the second year in a row.

Dave Aikens knows exactly how many steps it takes to get to work every day -- 160 rungs straight up a ladder requiring one rest stop along the way.

But once he is in his chair, Dave is on top of the world for the day enjoying his job as the crane operator for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) redevelopment project.

Dave admits he was awe-struck the first time he watched a construction crane work. For residents in Williams Lake and CMH staff, the crane has been an exciting addition to the skyline; towering over the city as a signal of the construction that began in 2023. Last winter, the crane was even decorated with festive Christmas lights.

Dave says he has enjoyed the sights from his perch during his 17 years as a crane operator. In addition to the views in Williams Lake, Dave has experienced beautiful scenes from across the country.

“Nothing beats a sunrise or a sunset in the crane, or seeing a wicked storm roll though the river valley and telling the crew they are going to get wet in T-minus five minutes.”

Nothing beats a morning sunrise over the city like the view from Dave Aikens’ chair in the crane at CMH.

Dave is originally from Edmonton and started his construction career as a laborer there in his twenties.

“My first project, I was just awe-stuck with the crane. I had to work with it and be a part of it and with a lot of hard work and drive the opportunity came. As an operator I've had the pleasure to work from Winnipeg to Vancouver and many places in between. And that brings me to Williams Lake where my company Pagnotta Industries and Graham Construction amongst others are working on your expansion at the hospital.”

The crane at CMH is a Terex Peiner SK 315 with a lifting capacity of 10,140 pounds at its tip (196 feet), 13,800 pounds total lift in a two-part line and 27,500 in a four-part line. Operating a crane in various weather conditions, especially wind, is challenging but there are policies and procedures in place to guide them.

Winston Baskerville is working on the project with Dave as an apprentice crane operator. Winston works as a rigger, but also gains experience in the crane with Dave conducting maintenance, safety checks and inspections with some operating time on slower days.

The CMH Redevelopment Project Team is hosting three Indigenous engagement sessions where we are seeking your feedback on the following:

• The traditional language and phrases for the outside of the main hospital and emergency entrance
• Choice of animal pictographs on the outside of the hospital
• Choice of plants for the harvestable garden

Please join us for one of the sessions. RSVP to Jennifer.Goulet@interiorhealth.ca to reserve your place. A meal will be provided at each session.

Monday, September 16 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at WLFN Council Chambers, 2561 Quigli Dr, Williams Lake

Tuesday, September 17 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. at All Nations Healing House, 281 1 Ave N, Williams Lake

Friday, October 4 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. at Elizabeth Grouse Gymnasium, 2674 Indian Drive, Williams Lake

Construction at Cariboo Memorial Hospital continues to make progress as new floors continue to be added to the new building. The new second and third storeys will be home to the new 36-bed medical unit.

Construction progress at CMH