NANAIMO, B.C. — Premier David Eby says the city of Nanaimo on central Vancouver Island is the latest British Columbia community to receive government approval for a cancer care centre.

The centre will be located at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

The announcement follows Thursday’s long-awaited approval of a new cancer treatment facility at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

The government also recently approved temporarily sending B.C. cancer patients to clinics in neighbouring Washington state to reduce wait lists at provincial treatment centres.

Eby says the Nanaimo cancer centre is expected to offer radiation therapy, an outpatient ambulatory care unit and the latest diagnostic technology.

A government statement says it is part of the province’s 10-year cancer action plan, but did not include a completion date for the proposed Vancouver Island facility.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2023.

The Canadian Press