March 18, 2008.

Howard Waldner, CEO & Directors
Vancouver Island Health Authority
1952 Bay Street
Victoria, BC V8R 1J8


Dear Mr. Waldner and VIHA Directors,

Subject: Assessments Needed to Compare North Island Hospital Options

Exactly one year ago I wrote you a letter requesting that assessments on energy and carbon dioxide emissions be done on all hospital options for Vancouver Island North. To date I have seen no response to the issues that I raised. So, once again I am writing you on behalf of the Comox Valley Chapter of the BC Sustainable Energy Association.

Today we are even more concerned that the board of Vancouver Island Heath Authority (VIHA) seems committed to building a new regional hospital that is remote from existing population centers. We are also concerned that you are not heeding recent announcements on climate change made by the premier of our province.

Since I wrote you last year, new legislation has been passed that will directly affect public health care decisions made by VIHA. BC is now committed to achieving 'carbon neutral' status for the public sector by 2010. This requirement includes all Health Authorities. The Throne Speech in February of this year said:

“To achieve carbon neutrality in B.C., all public sector organizations will be required by law to produce annual public reports on their emissions reduction progress. This will include accounting for all greenhouse gas emissions for which they are responsible, disclosing all actions taken to reduce these emissions, and publicly recording all offsets applied.”

In addition to reporting green house gas emissions, you will now have to ensure that any new hospital buildings will meet LEED Gold standards in construction and operation. LEED points are awarded for:

Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation & Design Process.


Please note that “Sustainable Sites” is the first category on the list. It is arguably the most important because the siting of any new building will influence all the other LEED categories. A poorly chosen site could make LEED Gold impossible. The only way to ensure you will meet LEED Gold is to assess the various options prior to final site selection.

Site selection will also be the most critical factor in determining green house gas emissions and energy consumption from travel by patients, doctors, nurses, staff, volunteers, and visitors.

We are asking that you conduct an energy and green house gas (GHG) emission assessment on the Dove Creek Hospital proposal and all other options including the upgrading and expansion of the existing hospitals in Comox and Campbell River. The assessment should explore the full spectrum of energy use and green house gas emissions for all phases and aspects of hospital operations. The assessment should include:

Energy and CO2 from the building construction phase;
Energy and CO2 from infrastructure construction such as new water, sewer, electrical, and natural gas lines;
Energy embodied in the building materials, especially concrete, whose production is a major contributor to CO2 levels;
New transportation infrastructure necessary to service the hospital;
Energy and CO2 from travel to and from the hospital;
Energy and CO2 from operational maintenance.

We also ask that you assess and compare the water supply and water services that will be required for each of the proposed health care options. Water supplies during summer and fall are frequently inadequate to meet current needs in much of the North Island area. Poorly chosen sites could have inadequate water or prove unnecessarily costly for long distance supply lines.

Finally, the premier has expressed concern that new developments remove millions of trees that are absorbing and storing carbon. To reverse this problem BC is now pursuing a goal of “zero net deforestation”. We would like to know how your plans for North Island would meet these new government priorities.

We believe that the directors of VIHA know that a decision of this magnitude deserves thorough analysis to determine the positive and negative outcomes. Please provide the people of Vancouver Island North with the information we need to make a health care system that will serve our children well in the coming years. We look forward to your response.


Yours truly,

Chris Hilliar
Chair, Comox Valley Chapter
BC Sustainable Energy Association



cc. Premier Gordon Campbell; George Abbott - Minister of Health; Carol James; Stan Hagen, MLA; Claire Trevena, MLA North Island; Catherine Bell – MP; Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital Board; Citizens for Quality Health Care; Guy Dauncey, President BCSEA; CV Echo; CV Record; Island Word; CR Courier