University Hospital of Northern British Columbia - Acute Care Tower

The Business-to-Business Networking Event for the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) Acute Care Tower Alliance is a great opportunity for local businesses, contractors, and suppliers to connect and learn about upcoming opportunities.

Whether you’re looking to get involved or just want to learn more about the project, this event is all about building connections and exploring how we can work together.

Interested? Find all the details and register here.

Members of the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) Acute Care Tower Project team attended the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) annual general meeting (AGM) in Prince George, BC, from May 20–22, 2026, alongside colleagues from the Dawson Creek and District Hospital Replacement Project and Northern Health Capital Projects.

The event brought together local leaders from across Northern and Central BC to discuss shared challenges and opportunities facing their communities. Attendees participated in sessions focused on infrastructure and economic development, while gaining valuable insight into current and future projects.

A key highlight was the opportunity to connect with leaders from across the North, helping to strengthen relationships and support ongoing collaboration.

Connect with us to learn more about how these projects are shaping the future of health care in Northern BC. Reach out at letstalkuhnbc@northernhealth.ca.

Members of the UHNBC Acute Care Tower Alliance project team were proud to take part in the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation's Spirit Day. This year’s event was especially meaningful, reaching a record-breaking $575,000+ in support of health care across the North.

During their time on the phones, the team connected with friends, family, colleagues, and community members to highlight the importance of supporting health care close to home. Their efforts contributed to a day that brings the region together in support of better health outcomes, demonstrating how their commitment goes beyond the acute care tower project itself and into meaningful community impact.

Northern BC now has access to more advanced cardiac care, with new interventional cardiac device services available at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC). These services reduce the need for travel while strengthening local cardiac care as the region prepares for the future acute care tower.

Read the full story to learn more.

This month marked an exciting milestone: the project officially moved into the design phase!

To begin, the team came together for a collaborative working session in Prince George known as a ‘Big Room.’ More than 50 people from various disciplines participated, including engineers, architects, designers, and clinical planning specialists. The session brought everyone together in one shared space to shape the project as a team from the very start.

Working together in the Big Room
The Big Room approach is all about collaboration and momentum. Instead of working separately, the full team meets to explore ideas, identify key questions, and make informed decisions together.

Questions that could not be answered immediately were captured and assigned to the right people. Team members then connected with partners, specialists, and interested parties outside the room to find those answers. Everyone then returns to the next Big Room session with clear information, so decisions can be made, and design work can keep moving forward.

This process helps reduce delays, strengthen partnerships, and ensures the design reflects a wide range of expertise and perspectives.

Design discussions in progress during the Big Room session, with teams working side by side.

Designing around real clinical experience
Clinical design is developing hand in hand with building design. As part of the kickoff for clinical and support services design, the project’s Clinical Design Leads spent three days completing “day‑in‑the‑life” tours across more than 20 departments at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC). By building relationships with staff within their care environments, the team will be able to gain a deeper understanding of daily workflows, patient and family experiences, and how spaces are truly used.

These insights will directly inform building design decisions, helping ensure future spaces are functional and efficient for our health care teams.

Clinical Design Leads visiting staff to better understand daily workflows and care environments.Looking ahead

With design now underway, the project will continue to be shaped through collaboration. The Big Room model and close integration of clinical and building design ensure decisions are grounded in both technical expertise and lived experience.

We look forward to sharing more updates as the design progresses and the vision takes shape.

We’re sharing an update on the upcoming relocation of services currently located at the Northern Interior Health Unit (NIHU).

To make room for the new acute care tower at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC), NIHU services will be moving to newly renovated spaces at Parkwood Mall. This relocation supports continued access to care close to the hospital and brings related teams together.

Move timeline: Summer 2026
We’re actively planning the transition and working closely with teams to reduce disruption to services.

What’s happening to the current NIHU building?
The existing NIHU building will be deconstructed after the move to make space for the new acute care tower.

Where services are moving
NIHU services will move into two newly renovated spaces at Parkwood Mall:

• The previous China Cup Buffet unit
• The second floor of the previous The Bay unit

The John G. Mckenzie Family Practice Centre is also moving as part of this transition. By co‑locating with some NIHU services, teams can work more closely together and enhance patient‑centred care.

What's next

Construction is underway at Parkwood Mall, and we’re excited to share photos of the new spaces currently under development. These spaces are being designed to support modern, integrated care in a welcoming environment.

📸 See photos below for a sneak peek of what’s coming.

Drywalled corridors taking shape in the future space, with clinical and office rooms progressing on both sides.

Metal framing outlines future hallways and doorways.

Construction of one of the front reception areas, with bulkheads and built‑in features defining the check‑in space.

We appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we work through this transition together. If you have questions, please leave a comment, we’re happy to help!

Even though things may have seemed quiet from the outside, our project team has been working hard behind the scenes over the past few weeks. At this point in the process, we are taking things slow and steady to make sure the Alliance starts on a solid foundation that will support collaboration and long‑term success.

This week, we made strong progress as we continued working on the design process. We focused on two key activities: pull planning and project proposal planning. Both sessions helped us clarify our priorities, align our timelines, and prepare for the next phase of the work.

The team working together during a pull planning session.

Pull planning: building our path together

We began the week with a pull planning session. This is a collaborative way to plan by starting with the end milestone and working backward. It helps us understand how each step connects and what needs to happen first.

During the session, we:

• Identified our goals for this design phase
• Talked through the steps needed to reach those goals
• Noted challenges that may come up and how to prepare for them
• Agreed on which early actions will set us up for success

Team members gathering around to share ideas during our proposal planning workshop.

Project proposal planning: refining what we will deliver

Later in the week, we shifted into project proposal planning. This part of the process helps us define what the project will include, how we will work with partners and community members, and what information we still need.

We discussed:

• What is in scope for this phase
• How we will gather and incorporate input
• What information or data we need
• How we will share updates as the project moves forward

This work helps make sure our approach is clear, achievable, and timely.

What comes next

Over the next few weeks, we will begin moving from planning into early design work. This includes reviewing what we learned, confirming our timelines, and preparing for upcoming engagement opportunities.

Thank you for your patience and interest during these early steps. We are building momentum and look forward to sharing more soon!

On December 3, 2025, Prince George city council approved new zoning for the hospital site. This decision will guide our project team as we move through planning and design for the new tower.

Zoning might not sound exciting, but it’s a big part of what makes this project possible. The approval gives us the room and flexibility we need to update the spaces that better support the growing health care needs of people across Northern BC.

What the zoning change means for our project

Zoning sets the rules for how land can be used. With the new P7: University Hospital of Northern BC zone in place, we now have the ability to build the facilities required for a modern acute care tower.

Here’s what changed:

• More room to build: The site coverage limit increased from 50% to 100%. This means we can use the full site if needed, which is crucial on a tight urban property.
• Ability to build taller: The height limit increased from 15 metres to 100 metres, giving us the ability to build the taller, multi‑story tower we need to expand acute care.

We appreciate the continued support from city council and our community as we move ahead with this major redevelopment. We’re excited to build a facility that meets the needs of the north today and into the future.

We’re happy to share an important step forward for the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) Acute Care Tower project: the signing of the Alliance Development Agreement (ADA).

The ADA officially forms the alliance, a collaborative approach that brings together Northern Health, EllisDon, DIALOG, PML Professional Mechanical, and Houle Electric, working alongside Infrastructure BC. This agreement establishes a foundation of shared responsibility, transparency, and collective decision-making, ensuring all partners work toward common goals and commit to resolving challenges together.

This milestone also sets the stage for the next agreement, the Project Alliance Agreement (PAA), which will guide the project through to completion.

Alliance kickoff in Prince George

To begin planning, the full alliance team gathered in Prince George during the week of December 8. This session was an opportunity to align priorities, strengthen relationships, and set the tone for the collaborative work ahead.

Thank you to all partners and team members for their commitment and collaboration. We look forward to sharing more updates as the project progresses!

We're excited to share a major milestone for the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) Acute Care Tower Project: the full alliance team is now in place!

We’ve officially welcomed our preferred mechanical and electrical non-owner participants (NOPs):

• Mechanical NOP: PML Professional Mechanical Ltd.
  A leading B.C.-based mechanical contractor, PML brings extensive experience in health care and institutional projects, with a focus on innovative and sustainable building systems.

• Electrical NOP: Houle Electric
  Houle Electric is one of B.C.’s largest electrical contractors, known for delivering complex electrical solutions for major infrastructure projects, including hospitals and advanced care facilities.

This marks the full formation of the alliance, a collaborative approach that unites the owner, designers, and contractors under one agreement. Unlike traditional contracting, the alliance model emphasizes shared responsibility, transparency, and collective decision-making. All partners work toward common goals, share risks and rewards, and commit to resolving challenges together. This approach fosters innovation, efficiency, and trust, which are key ingredients for a project of this scale.

What’s next?
Northern Health, EllisDon, DIALOG, PML, and Houle Electric, will work alongside Infrastructure BC as we enter the alliance development phase through fall 2026. Key upcoming milestones include:

• Northern Interior Health Unit relocation: spring 2026
• Tower construction start: fall 2026
• Anticipated opening for patients: winter 2031

This transformative project will deliver a new acute care tower to enhance surgical, cardiac, and mental health and substance use services for residents across Northern BC.

Read the full release here.