Nearly seven months since the closure of the Sun Peaks Community Health Centre, the municipality is working to reestablish the Sun Peaks Health Association to help reopen the clinic.
Originally established in the 1990s, the Sun Peaks Health Association was founded by retired pediatrician John Gossage to support community healthcare services in Sun Peaks. In 2024, the association ended its tenure after over a decade as members felt it had fulfilled its mandate.
“It’s time for somebody else who has a new vision, and [if] they’re enthused about it, then this is an opportunity to go forward with some of the legwork being done,” previous board member Mario Pozza told SPIN in 2024.
On Feb. 1, 2025, the Sun Peaks Health Association transferred its assets and operations to the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality for $10, according to the municipality’s financial audit. These assets were recorded in the municipality at the fair market value of $86,244.
In July 2025 the municipality, which owns the health centre building, ended its lease with the clinic’s previous operator, and the centre closed in October. Now, the municipality is circling back to the health association, in the hopes it will support reopening the clinic.
A consultant was recommended by municipal staff on March 10 to help with the work of reopening the clinic after an unsuccessful, months-long negotiation period with Dr. Catherine Nowierski, who hoped to purchase and operate the facility.
“The previous [negotiation] process took up a substantial amount of staff time and resources which has led to the delay and or inability to advance a significant amount of other work and move forward on other critical priorities,” a staff memo to council stated.
Reestablishing the health association has always been part of the municipality’s long-term plan, chief administrative officer Deanna Campbell said. This was noted in the Sun Peaks Health Centre Working Group’s report as a priority, which recommended reviving the health association.
“Assuming the future [health association] is willing to volunteer their time, efforts and expertise, then the municipality would support the health association taking on the work to get the health centre re-opened, eliminating the need for the municipality to pay for and engage external contracted support through a consultant,” Campbell said.
Reestablishing the health association
The municipality is working to transition and operationalize the Sun Peaks Health Association to a community-led model before the summer. Currently, the board of directors includes Mayor Rob O’Toole, council members and a non-voting community member, Alice Muirhead.
“Mayor and council…felt it would be helpful to have a community member on the board,” Campbell said. “[Muirhead] has quite a bit of relevant knowledge, expertise and experience, and has been an invaluable asset and resource in this process.”
Muirhead has worked to support the association’s board of directors in the process of transitioning the health association, which includes a bylaw rewrite and adoption, something Pozza noted would be required in 2024. The bylaws have been assessed and are currently under review by a lawyer so the amendments can be finalized.
Next the amended bylaws will be filed with the corporate registry, and the mayor and council will continue to be the directors, before bringing in new community members, though the structure and appointment process is still being determined.
The final step is to hold a general meeting to appoint the new board of directors. This board would consist of community members and one elected official of the municipality.
“For the last several years, the mayor, council and municipality staff have been responsible for the operation of the health centre,” Muirhead explained. “The Sun Peaks Community Health Association will begin to take on this responsibility led by a board of directors made up of community members…[and] continue work to reopen the clinic as a place where people can receive care.”
The timeline for reopening the health centre remains uncertain, and Muirhead said she understands the frustration folks have felt since the clinic’s closure.
“My sincere hope is that the collaborative efforts of community members will lead to a medical clinic that operates sustainably for many years,” she said. “We’ve also seen physicians and operators come and go from the clinic. Rebuilding trust will be critical, along with the establishment of a solid operating foundation for sustainable care.”
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