Ksyen Regional Hospital - Terrace, BC | Let's Talk Northern Health

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Cranes are coming down!

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The cranes have been part of views from every direction in Terrace for the last year, including this one from Lanfear Hill.
Terrace’s skyline will change drastically in the next few days.
As of Tuesday, October 4, the two tower cranes on the Mills Memorial Hospital (MMH) construction site will be gone.
The cranes garnered significant attention when they first went up. For several months, local residents – including many excited children – would stand on the sidewalk near the Sande Overpass watching them work. Similarly, local photographers and videographers took the opportunity to catch visuals of the cranes swiveling and lifting, as this is the only time Terrace has ever had something like this in town.
The cranes will be dismantled over the course of four days, starting Friday, September 30. The crane on the south end of the site, closer to Haugland will be taken down first and the crane on the north end will follow.
Tower cranes are made up of a vertical tower (the mast) and an outstretched jib (the working arm). The jibs will be removed first, then the vertical towers taken down in pieces. This is the reverse order of how the cranes were put up.
The two cranes were initially erected just over a year ago, in August 2021, for the purpose of moving heavy equipment and materials. With the structural bulk of the new hospital complete, from here on, either smaller, mobile cranes or teleporters, which are forklifts with an extending boom, will be used to move materials to upper floor locations.
Cranes being erected last summer. Fun facts about the MMH tower cranes and its operators!
- Each operator works with a person on the ground, called a rigger or a swamper. A rigger’s main responsibility is to safely hook up loads for the operator to move with the crane.
- Each morning the MMH crane operators would start their shifts at 6am and meet to discuss plans for the days with safety being at the forefront of these discussions. They’d start climbing up their towers to the crane cab at approximately 6:20 am, often in the dark but under the bright lighting on the top of the mast guiding their way. After running safety tests and inspections, they’d start moving materials around 7am. Shifts were 12 hours long, ending at 6pm, and the operators take their breaks in the cab, not leaving their post until the end of their shift.
- Each crane has two radio systems for on site communications. One is used to communicate with the rigger. The other communicates with the other crane operator.
- Crane operators must consider many factors when moving materials on site, including but not limited to, what’s happening on the ground, the weight and shape of the materials, the outside climate (especially the wind), how to best mitigate risks, and much more.
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Changes to parking

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New, temporary, employee parking lot in front of hospital
Ultimately, parking at the new Mills Memorial Hospital will be double what’s available now, going from approximately 150 to 300 spaces.
In the meantime, however, as the project’s main contractor PCL and Northern Health delicately juggle building a new hospital while continuing to operate the current hospital on the same site, visitors will once again notice a change in parking.
The most recent changes include:
1. A new, temporary, employee-only parking lot has been added on Haugland Avenue, west of the main entrance.
2. The parking lot next to the psychiatric ward, just off Haugland Avenue, is no longer accessible.
3. Only authorized vehicles are now allowed in the parking area just beyond the emergency department. This means visitors can no longer park in that area nor drive through and exit onto Haugland Avenue.
Area close to emergency department now only open to authorized vehicles
These changes are necessary as construction of the new hospital continues and site prep work for the new Seven Sisters facility begins.
To alleviate the impact of these steps in the construction process, last summer, PCL built a temporary gravel parking lot with 70 new spots. This new lot adjacent to Tetrault Street, in between the current hospital and current Seven Sisters facility, has been in use since July 2021.
Thank you for adhering to all parking rules as we move forward with this exciting project!
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Project timeline

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Happy one year anniversary!

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Staff and physicians at Mills Memorial Hospital were treated to cake on Wednesday, June 22, to celebrate one year of construction of the new hospital. The construction site was also unusually quiet over the lunch hour, as PCL treated workers on site to a catered meal from the popular Terrace food truck Redneck Kitchen, for the anniversary.

One of four cakes celebrating one year of project construction.

Longtime Northern Health employee Patrick Sharyk enjoys a slice.

Administrative Assistant Nicole Demedeiros serves a piece of the action to cafeteria worker Lora Gogag.

Workers on the new Mills Memorial Hospital construction site take a break to enjoy a free catered lunch, courtesy of PCL, celebrating one year of construction .
What a difference a year makes!

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Check out what the site looked like a year ago today, when construction had not even begun. What a difference!
Project update: Last concrete slab poured

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Here and Now
- The last concrete slab for the new hospital was poured on June 2, 2022; in the construction industry, this exciting milestone is referred to as ‘structural completion’.
- Work has begun on the fourth floor; the new hospital will have five floors in total, including the basement.
- Interior mechanical and electrical work has started in the basement of the new hospital.
- The roof is on the new facilities maintenance garage, a steel structure on the southwest corner of the new facility, behind the current emergency department.
- The storm and sanitary branches, which will manage the new hospital’s storm water and sewage, are complete.
- Roughly 41% of workers currently on site are local (live in Terrace) or regional (commute from surrounding communities to the site).
- More than 80 local businesses have been contracted to date to perform a range of duties.
- Recently released What We Heard booklet, which responds to common feedback and questions about the project.
Going forward
- Construction of the new Seven Sisters is set to begin this summer and will last at least one year; We will also share the final design of the new site once it is complete.
- Terrace’s skyline will go back to normal this fall as the tower cranes will be removed from the site.
- By the end of the year, the exterior building envelope should be complete.
- Majority of site work this winter and going forward will be inside the building.
Project Completion
Overall, the project is is expected to be complete in the summer of 2026. The “substantial completion” date, however, is scheduled for September 2024.
Substantial completion is the point when Northern Health will take possession of the new hospital and continue work towards getting the facility ready for patient use. After that, the current facility will need be decommissioned and demolished, and the landscaping and parking will also need to be completed.

Looking up the mast of the tower crane from it’s base. Placing concrete in concrete form with crane and bucket.
Reinforcing steel and embedded electrical and mechanical components.
Installing open web joists for the facilities maintenance garage.
East side of the new facility.
Working through the night May 30 to June 2

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Large concrete pours will take place on the Mills Memorial Hospital construction site from Tuesday, May 30 toThursday, June 2. Workers will be on site past 7 PM and into the night.
Most concrete work on the Mills Memorial Hospital construction site is completed throughout the day. However, when large pours take place, it is sometimes necessary to work longer hours to finish the concrete.
We apologize for any noise in advance.
Local engineering students tour site

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Last week, five students and their instructor from the Engineering Certificate program at Coast Mountain College were fortunate to get a tour of the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project site in Terrace.

"The students were excited to tour such a large and complex project that will play a key role in the future of our community," said course instructor Stuart Toop.

"The staff and engineers onsite took a large amount of time out of their busy day to show us around the project and answer all our questions," he continued. "PCL has offered amazing support to the Engineering Program at Coast Mountain College."

PCL recently made a $5,000 donation to the Engineers and Geoscientists of BC's new scholarship program aimed to help eliminate educational and employment gaps with Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
What We Heard: your feedback & questions answered

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In the fall of 2021 the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project released draft designs of the new hospital and Seven Sisters facilities currently under construction in Terrace, BC. We asked for your thoughts and if you had any questions.
It’s time to share what we heard and answer some of the questions we received.
Check out the MMH What We Heard: Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement Project Feedback and Questions booklet.
Hint! You gave us feedback and insightful questions on all kinds of topics – including whether the new hospital will have a café, a bigger emergency department, bike racks, regional art, lights that kills bacteria and viruses, and much more.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the designs. Your feedback will help the new Mills Memorial Hospital do the best possible job of serving the people of Northwest BC.
The new hospital will offer a smoother, safer and more welcoming patient journey, as well as support the recruitment and retention of much-needed health care workers.
Working through the night April 25 & 27

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Large concrete pours will take place on the Mills Memorial Hospital construction site Monday, April 25 and Wednesday, April 27. Workers will be on site past 7 PM and into the night.
Most concrete work on the Mills Memorial Hospital construction site is completed throughout the day. However, when large pours take place, it is sometimes necessary to work longer hours to finish the concrete.
We apologize for any noise in advance.