British ColumbiaRepeated overnight closures at Mission Memorial Hospital’s emergency room brought dozens of residents to the hospital grounds on Saturday to demand action in response to repeated service disruptions.6 overnight shutdowns at Mission Memorial Hospital so far this yearCBC News · Posted: Nov 16, 2025 1:04 AM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.People hold signs reading “Health Care Matters” during a rainy Saturday gathering outside Mission Memorial Hospital, where residents called for stable emergency room services after multiple overnight closures this year. (CBC)Mission resident Leanne Smythe says it’s frightening to think about what could happen if people can’t rely on the emergency room at Mission Memorial Hospital. She had to take her kids there when they were growing up, but she fears for people who take their children to the ER and cannot get the healthcare they need. Smythe was one of dozens of local residents, health-care workers and local leaders rallying in the rain outside the hospital on Saturday, calling for the Fraser Health Authority to take immediate action to prevent further overnight emergency room closures. Last Sunday, the ER closed to new patients between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday to ensure everyone already in the department could be seen by a doctor before their shift ended at 11 p.m. PT.It was the sixth time this year doctor shortages have affected Mission Memorial’s emergency department — a problem that has been plaguing hospitals across the province. “If we don’t get off the couch and get out, the government has a reason to ignore us,” Smythe said. Mission resident Leanne Smythe, at Saturday’s gathering, said repeated ER closures have left parents worried about what will happen if their children need urgent care and the emergency room isn’t open. (CBC)Many of the demonstrators carried signs reading “Mission Matters” and “Health Care Matters,” demanding Fraser Health increase staffing support, restore full-time service and improve transparency around closures.Abbotsford–Mission MLA Reann Gasper, who organized the rally, says the provincial government needs to get its “act together.” “Do something that the people in this community can actually feel the change,” she told the crowd.Flooded ER and ‘skeleton staff’Mission Memorial’s medical director, Dr. Paul Theron, told CBC News the closures are the result of overlapping pressures, including a physical emergency department that’s still recovering from serious damage.“Part of the problem dates back to when our ER had an unexpected flood in January of 2024,” he said.The department was forced to move into a former endoscopy preparation and recovery area elsewhere in the hospital, a space he calls “very much not fit for purpose.”Mission Memorial Hospital’s ER has closed overnight due to physician staffing challenges six times this year. (Ben Nelms/CBC)“That led to an exodus of some of our permanent physician staff, who felt that they weren’t practicing in a safe environment,” he said.Renovations are underway. An $18-million project backed by the province and Fraser Health is expected to take about 18 months. When complete, Theron says, the ER will expand from 27 care spaces to 41.But even with the upgrades, he says staffing remains a major concern in a community that’s growing quickly.“The recruitment from out of the country, from out of province and domestic training isn’t holding up with the demand,” he said. WATCH | Doctor shortages closing B.C. ERs:Doctor shortages closing B.C. ERs, some people’s only health care optionEmergency room closures in British Columbia have prompted one Delta city councillor to call for a public health emergency declaration. Other B.C. communities are also struggling with doctor shortages that are leading to ER closures, concerning residents for whom it is the only health-care option.Theron says the hospital ideally needs four to five physician shifts covered over a 24-hour period. At minimum, he says, the department needs three.“If we have any less than three, then that’s where the department ends up closing for one of those shift times,” he said. Two new emergency physicians are being recruited from the U.K., but he says they’re still tied up in the immigration process.A provincewide challengeMission Mayor Paul Horn says the root problem goes beyond any single hospital or health authority.“It’s happening at small and mid-size hospitals across the province,” he said. In Delta, there have been four overnight ER closures this year and the problem is even more persistent in the Northern and Interior Health regions. Horn says communication from Fraser Health has improved, with the authority providing more consistent advance notice when services might be disrupted and often managing to fill shifts before closures happen.But he says that doesn’t solve the problem.“It’s a result of the fact that we’re having difficulty in communities of our size attracting and retaining doctors,” Horn said.Mission Mayor Paul Horn says repeated ER closures reflect a broader struggle to recruit and retain doctors in smaller communities (CBC)That’s why, he says, the City of Mission is advancing a proposed health and wellness district around the hospital, which would act as a hub of housing and services for health workers, health-related businesses and short-term accommodations for patients’ families and medical traineesHorn says the goal is to make Mission a “place for doctors to come.”“They need a reason to come here,” he said.Province and Fraser Health point to recruitment pushIn a written statement, B.C.’s Ministry of Health said it understands “the impact an unplanned service interruption has on patients and people in the community,” adding that there’s a global shortage of health workers. It said the province is “training and hiring more healthcare workers in B.C. than ever before,” including fast-tracking credential recognition, expanding UBC’s medical school and establishing a new medical school in Surrey.The ministry says total emergency department closure hours in July and August were down about 25 per cent compared to the same time last year.It also says Fraser Health received 154 applications from qualified U.S. health-care professionals between May and June 2025.For its part, the health authority says it’s “actively” exploring ways to strengthen support for emergency department services in Mission” and that efforts to fill shifts and prevent service interruptions are “almost always successful.”Despite the promises, Mission residents say they are still left wondering if they will get emergency care when they need it most. Smythe says she doesn’t often attend rallies, but the repeated closures pushed her to act and make sure voices like hers are heard.“It’s really easy to ignore small towns like Mission,” she said. With files from Baneet Braich, Cory Correia and Shaurya Kshatri
Mission, B.C. residents demand urgent action amid persistent ER closures
