In This Week’s Editor’s Note:
- Port Alberni: New Community Heath Centre
- Courtenay: Sewer Renewal using Cure-in-Place Pipe
- Campbell River: Development Cost Charges Bylaw Updated
Port Alberni: New Community Heath Centre
Construction is underway on a new Indigenous Community Health Centre at 2889 3rd Avenue in Port Alberni. At approximately 10,000 square feet, the project involves the renovation and conversion of an existing commercial building into a purpose-built health-care facility, providing culturally-safe primary care, mental health and substance-use services, traditional health services and allied health care. The project is being developed through a partnership involving the Port Alberni Friendship Centre, Port Alberni Primary Care Network, Island Health and the BC Ministry of Health, with the Friendship Centre to govern and operate the facility. The Province has committed approximately $2.7 million toward tenant improvements and an annual operating budget of $3.8 million. A building permit valued at approximately $3.2 million has also been issued for the renovation. A cleansing and groundbreaking ceremony was held April 8, 2026, and construction was reportedly underway later that month. Once operational, the Centre is expected to accommodate approximately 38,000 patient visits annually and attach approximately 3,700 patients to a primary-care provider. Opening is anticipated in early 2027.
Courtenay: Sewer Renewal using Cure-in-Place Pipe
The 2026 sanitary sewer main renewal project involved renewing approximately 591 metres of sanitary sewer pipe on Dogwood Drive. As part of this renewal, the City utilized Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) rather than conventional excavation. CIPP is widely used across the wastewater industry where existing pipe alignment and capacity remain suitable, but the pipe requires renewal to address age, defects, infiltration, or structural deterioration. It was a strong fit for Dogwood Drive because the objective was to rehabilitate and extend the life of the existing sewer, not increase pipe size or relocate the main. Since the main runs through backyard corridors, conventional open-cut replacement would have required extensive excavation, utility coordination, service maintenance, backfill, and restoration of affected yards, fences, sheds, landscaping, and mature trees. Conventional replacement costs average between $4,000 and $ 6,000 per metre and would have required approximately six months of construction to complete. Comparatively, CIPP construction costs were just under $400 per metre, and the overall project was completed in about two weeks. Staff have noted CIPP is not suitable for every sanitary sewer application, and its use should be based on pre-selection due diligence. However, it provides another renewal tool that can be considered where condition, capacity, alignment, and project constraints support rehabilitation over replacement.
Campbell River: Development Cost Charges Bylaw Updated
Council adopted the updated Development Cost Charges Bylaw on September 3. The updated bylaw replaces the City’s 2010 DCC bylaw and reflects current infrastructure costs, growth projections and capital planning. Proposed DCC rates are $19,937.51 per low-density lot, $11,500.61 per medium-density unit, $96.45/m² for high-density, $90.92/m² for commercial, $33.40/m² for industrial, and $110.13/m² for institutional. Additional Quinsam Heights drainage DCCs are $4,137.07 per low-density lot, $1,757.36 per medium-density unit, $21.01/m² for high-density, $9.70/m² for commercial, $6.06/m² for industrial, and $9.09/m² for institutional. Council gave the bylaw three readings in March, and it received provincial approval on May 25, 2026. If adopted, new applications will be subject to the updated rates immediately, while eligible in-stream and active applications will receive a one-year protection period.
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