Category Construction Progress Show all
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Construction ahead of schedule! A major milestone for the new hospital
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Some exciting news about the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital project! Construction is progressing ahead of schedule and as a result, we've received notice from Graham Design-Builders that the substantial completion date has moved from November 30, 2026 to September 29, 2026—two months ahead of schedule!
Advancing the substantial completion date is a major achievement—and a testament to hard work by many partners and contributors. It brings us significantly closer to opening a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital that reflects the needs, values, and cultures of Dawson Creek and the Peace Region.
What does “substantial completion” mean?
Substantial completion marks the point when the building is sufficiently complete and safe for Northern Health to take ownership of the facility. While there may still be minor finishing touches, cleanup, or adjustments required, the hospital is considered fully constructed with functioning systems.
In practical terms, this is when Graham formally hands over the building—keys included—and Northern Health assumes responsibility for preparing the hospital for patient care.
What does this mean for opening day?
Because construction is ahead of schedule, our Go-Live / Opening Day will also be earlier than planned. There’s still work and planning to be completed prior to determining the new opening day date. But we’ll provide an update once we know more!
What happens between substantial completion and opening day?
Once we receive the keys to the building, we enter a critical activation and transition phase. These months are essential to ensuring that our physicians, nurses, support staff, and operational teams are fully prepared to deliver care in the new space.
A lot of work happens behind the scenes before the hospital opens its doors to patients, which includes:
✔ Staff Training, Orientation, and Education
- Staff will receive in-depth training on new equipment, updated workflows, safety procedures, and the layout of the facility.
- Teams will learn how to work in their new environment and adapt to redesigned workflows so they’re confident and well‑prepared.
- Staff will take part in hands‑on learning to ensure safe, high‑quality care from day one.
✔ Simulation and Dry-Run Exercises
- Teams practice real-world scenarios to ensure that care is delivered safely, efficiently, and consistently from day one.
- These exercises help identify gaps, test new processes, uncover concerns, and build staff confidence.
- This may include simulations of emergency codes and responses, patient journeys, interdepartmental coordination and patient workflows, patient transport routes for move day, testing wayfinding and routing, and much more.
✔ Furniture and Equipment Installation
- From beds to technology to medical equipment, everything must be installed and tested before we can welcome patients.
✔ Systems Testing & Safety Checks
- IT systems, emergency responses, mechanical systems, and clinical workflows undergo rigorous testing. Remaining deficiencies are corrected, systems are re-tested, and the building is prepared to welcome patients and families.
- This careful and deliberate preparation ensures that the hospital is fully equipped, staff are supported, and patient safety is at the center of every decision.
- We look forward to sharing more updates as we move through this exciting next phase of the project.
Emergency department - treatment rooms (left), care station (right)
Emergency department - treatment rooms
Emergency department - Clinical decision unit treatment spaces
Clinical decision unit treatment space
Inpatient unit room
Maternity unit - Care station
Surgery - pre- and post-op treatment spaces
Visiting specialists treatment room -
A bright welcome: Tuscan Sun panels complete the hospital’s exterior
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The new Dawson Creek and District Hospital continues to transform our skyline – and the latest milestone is hard to miss. Visible from most locations within the city, the reveal of the Tuscan Sun ACM panels adds a warm, golden hue to the building’s exterior.
The warm Tuscan Sun panels complete the hospital’s bold and meaningful exterior colour palette. This vibrant colour isn’t just for looks – it was chosen to complement the City of Dawson Creek’s logo and create a welcoming landmark for patients, families, and visitors. Positioned at the main entrance, the golden panels will help guide people to care while providing a striking contrast to the large “H” sign that will soon be installed.
WATCH: Video of the Tuscan Sun ACM panel reveal
The building now has its full, vibrant look which reflects the beauty and identity of our region:
- Ocean Blue = the vast Peace Region sky
- Lagoon = the northern lights dancing above us
- Tuscan Sun = Dawson Creek pride and a bright beacon for health care
As one of the tallest structures in Dawson Creek, the hospital’s exterior is a symbol of progress, care, and community pride.
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Mock-up #4: Refining patient care spaces through clinical engagement
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We’re thrilled to share an exciting milestone was recently achieved in the design and construction of the new Dawson Creek and District Hospital with the completion of our fourth mock-up session, which took place on-site and inside the new hospital!
Mock-up #4 focused on two key spaces: a typical medical/surgical inpatient room and a typical bariatric patient room.
These mock-ups are immersive, hands-on experiences that give clinical users an opportunity to physically experience the space and provide real-time feedback on layout and functionality prior to construction being replicated throughout the facility. This approach enables identification of potential issues and supports evidence-based decision-making to ensure the final spaces are both operationally efficient and patient-centered.
These mock-up sessions are a vital part of our design and construction process, allowing us to refine room layouts based on the input of those who will work in these spaces every day. By inviting clinical staff to experience the rooms in-situ and provide feedback, we ensure that every detail is thoughtfully considered. The feedback gathered will directly inform final construction decisions, helping us build a hospital that truly reflects the needs of our staff.
During the mock-up, clinical users provided valuable insights on:
- Hand sanitizer placement for optimal accessibility and infection control
- Washroom grab bar types and locations to support patient mobility and safety
- Handrail placement throughout the room to assist with movement and fall prevention
- Workflow efficiency to streamline care delivery
Interested in learning more about the key features of patient rooms? Check out Highlight: Inpatient Rooms.
Photos from the typical bariatric patient room:
Photos from the typical medical/surgical inpatient room:
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A vibrant reveal of the exterior ACM panel colours
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A vibrant new feature of the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital is catching the community’s eye: the building’s exterior colours.
With majority of the aluminum composite material (ACM) panels now installed and the protective film getting peeled off, the building is quickly becoming a visible landmark on the city’s skyline.
The new hospital’s façade is being clad in Ocean Blue, Lagoon, and Tuscan Sun – a bold and meaningful palette that reflects Dawson Creek’s natural beauty, cultural identity, and northern spirit.
- Ocean Blue represents the vast Peace Region sky symbolizing openness, calmness, and clarity
- Lagoon captures the magic of the Aurora Borealis, a natural wonder often visible in the northern skies
- Tuscan Sun was chosen to complement the City of Dawson Creek’s logo and is intended to highlight the main entrance and stand out as an identifiable landmark
The chosen colours were thoughtfully selected to reflect Dawson Creek’s identity and to create a welcoming, recognizable space for patients, families, and staff. We are excited to hear that community members are already embracing the bold and meaningful palette.
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Farewell to Hank and Dan: Dawson Creek's Towering Heroes
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As the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital rises to meet the skyline, we say farewell to the two towering figures who have become local celebrities – Hank and Dan, the mighty tower cranes. These mechanical marvels have not only played a crucial role in the construction of our new hospital but have also captured the hearts and imaginations of our community.
Installed to help build the new hospital, Hank and Dan quickly became more than just construction equipment. They were symbols of the quick and exciting progress being made and were visible from almost every corner of Dawson Creek. Their presence sparked excitement and curiosity, turning a construction site into a community landmark.
The cranes' journey began when Ken Scott, a local nurse, named them Hank and Dan, after Vancouver Canucks legends, Henrik and Daniel Sedin. This transformed the cranes from cold, impersonal machinery into characters in the story of our new hospital. They became a topic of daily discussions with photos being posted of them on social media, children pointing them out and calling them the “Christmas Cranes”, and adults appreciating their engineering expertise.
On November 14, we said goodbye to Hank (tower crane #1) as he was carefully dismantled and removed from the site. Yesterday, December 4, we also said goodbye to Dan (tower crane #2). Their departure marks the end of an era but also reminds us of the power of progress as we look forward to the opening of the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital in Spring 2027.
So, here's to Hank and Dan – our towering heroes. Thank you for lifting our spirits and helping build a brighter future for health care in Dawson Creek.
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Tower crane #1 (aka Hank) being removed
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The Dawson Creek skyline is changing yet again with the removal of tower crane #1 (aka Hank) today.
The second tower crane (aka Dan) will remain on site until mid-December and then will be removed as well.
VIDEO: Operator's view of the removal of the jib from the cab.
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July Progress Photos
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Check out this month's progress on the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital!
Workers have started removing some of the shoring and re-shoring from Level 1 and Level 2. Framing has started on the interior and exterior of the building. Concrete is continuing to be poured for vertical construction. The multi-trade racks have started arriving on-site and being installed.
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June Progress Photos
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The new Dawson Creek & District Hospital is really starting to take shape!
Concrete pours for the suspended slabs will be complete by the end of July and over 7,510m3 of concrete will have been poured for all three levels. Over the coming weeks and months, workers will begin removing the shoring which is the vertical tower support system that carries the weight of the formwork, reinforcing bar, concrete and live loads. Work is also underway for waterproofing and backfilling the perimeter of the building.
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May Progress Pictures
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As the days go on, more and more progress is being made on the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital! Check out the photos below from a site walkthrough in mid-May.
Concrete pours for Level 1 are now complete, Level 2 is almost complete and Level 3 is recently underway. Once all the concrete pours are complete, over ~7510m of concrete will have been poured for the concrete superstructure.
Members of the Project Management Team
View of the West side of the building where the covered and secure staff entrance will be
View standing at tower crane #2 on Level 1 looking up to Level 2
View looking from the West to the East of the suspended slab formwork tower system
View of the suspended slab formwork on the North side of the building
View on the East side of the building from Level 1 looking up to Level 2
Concrete pouring on Level 2 
Prepping for concrete pours on Level 2
View from Level 2 looking at prep work for start of concrete pours the Level 3 suspended slab
Fun fact: Heidelberg Materials, Dawson Creek is supplying all of the concrete for the suspended slabs -
Multi-trade rack mock-up in Coquitlam
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On February 22 and 29, members from the DCDH PMO, Graham, HDR and subcontractor representatives attended an in-person mock-up review of a typical multi-trade rack in Coquitlam to provide feedback and discuss the pre-fabrication design.
A multi-trade rack (MTR) is a steel frame structure that contains elements such as ductwork, water lines, heating pipes, sprinkler lines, valves, VAV boxes, steel studs and drywall, electrical components and anything else that is located in the ceiling of a corridor. Part of the project strategy is to pre-fabricate large components of the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital using MTRs. There will be approximately 90 in the new facility varying in size between 16’ to 24’ long.
While in production, three MTRs will be built per week. Fabrication is done based on an established sequence of activities so as to facilitate assembly-line like production to maximize completion output.
Once they are fabricated, the MTRs will undergo inspection and testing and then be shrink wrapped and shipped to Dawson Creek starting as early as July.
Once the MTRs arrive on-site, they’ll be lifted up with the tower crane, rolled onto the floor into position, inspected again, hoisted up into the ceiling space, and then bolted to the underside of the suspended slab. Once they are installed, the two-foot gap between each one will be in-filled, inclusive of all the mechanical and electrical services and drywall.
Pre-fabricating the MTRs off-site allows for them to be completed while work is still underway on the concrete superstructure as opposed to waiting until that work is complete. This method is also quicker, more cost effective, improves quality control, and is safer as it prevents workers having to work at heights.
Note: Image is from another project showing the MTR being lifted by the crane
