Nearly four months after the closure of the Sun Peaks Community Health Centre, residents and staff continue to wait for a fulsome update regarding the future of the clinic.
Despite several announcements detailing ongoing work to reopen the centre, through which municipal leaders have reiterated the situation remains a top priority, locals are struggling with uncertainty, anxiety and a lapse in health care.
“We don’t know what’s going on,” Sun Peaks resident Diane Russel told SPIN. “We don’t know whether to seek a physician elsewhere or wait. None of us know what to do anymore.”
The last written statement regarding the process, issued by Mayor Rob O’Toole was shared Nov. 12, 2025.
“We appreciate the community’s patience as we work through the details needed to finalize the agreement and move forward with reopening as soon as possible,” he wrote. “Further updates will be shared as more information becomes available.”
The mayor also shared a general statement in December restating the municipality’s commitment to reopening the clinic, and spoke to SPIN in a year-end interview where he touched on the impact of the closure on both residents and staff of the clinic.
Most recently, during a Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) council meeting Jan. 13, chief administrative officer Deanna Campbell touched on the process briefly, but provided no timeline for reopening.
In these statements specifics regarding the process have been limited, with the municipality citing confidentiality obligations.
“We recognize the anxiety and concern the lack of health services in the community is causing,” she said during the meeting. “It’s not a simple and straightforward process…there are some complexities.”
While O’Toole said he was not able to expand on what complexities specifically are taking the most time to work through, he pointed to the unique model of the clinic as a non-profit, municipality-led entity as being something to navigate.
He added the municipality is continuing negotiations to reach common ground.
“I feel that the municipality has done everything it can to take down any potential barriers to getting the clinic back open under the direction of a private sector operator.”
Previously working as a physician in the clinic under Supporting Team Excellence with Patients Society (STEPS), Dr. Catherine Nowierski was the sole respondent to the municipality’s request for proposals seeking a new operator after SPMRM did not renew its lease with the non-profit. The municipality citied operational challenges including reduced hours, long wait times, lack of locums and limited access to urgent care in it’s decisions to cut ties with STEPS.
Sun Peaks Independent News reached out to Nowierski for comment on the process but did not hear back prior to publishing. This article will be updated if a response is provided.
Russel, who was a patient of Nowierski’s, described her as highly respected and valued, noting she was “probably one of the best physicians I’ve ever seen.”
“She was very well liked in the community,” Russel said. “I haven’t met a single person who didn’t think she was wonderful.”
Residents seek alternative care, call for more information
Following Noweirski’s July 2025 resignation from the health centre, and the subsequent cessation of medical care in October, Russel has been forced to seek care through a patchwork of alternatives, including urgent care centres, alternative health practitioners such as osteopaths and naturopaths and even medical services in Vancouver.
In her search for care, Russel said she’s been turned away from Kamloops urgent care due to full physician rosters and recently lost a spot with a Vancouver doctor after being deemed ineligible because her primary address is in Sun Peaks.
While Russel emphasized she does not have chronic medical conditions, she said the situation is especially difficult for other community members, particularly seniors and young families.
“I really feel for young parents,” Russel said. “If you’ve got a sick child, you don’t want to drive an hour to Kamloops, wait in line and then drive an hour back. That’s not a good solution.”
She reiterated her hope for increased communication from the municipality.
“We just want to be told what’s going on,” she said. “…Why is it taking so long? The not knowing is the hardest part.”
Acknowledging the frustrations around the municipality’s confidentiality requirements, O’Toole clarified the importance of maintaining privacy as a “bigger picture thing.”
“Negotiations need to remain in private in order to protect everybody’s interests in that process,” he said. “As important as healthcare is, if all of a sudden we stop following that model, then every time we’re doing a negotiation on any particular subject or or project, it would give the other organizations we’re working with pause.”
“Our process needs to have integrity,” he added.
The health centre was a vital part of the community and deeply valued by residents, Russel emphasized.
“We want our health centre back. It meant a lot to this community.”
Russel is not alone in her frustration or concern. Through SPIN’s survey seeking feedback on the process, many readers shared similar experiences.
“Having recently had a knee replacement, also dealing with a heart issue, the health care centre being closed has definitely made my life much more difficult,” resident Brad Shirley told SPIN.
Tips to cope during the clinic’s closure
Attending council meetings, either virtually or in person, has helped Shirley stay as informed as possible.
In addition to following council to stay up to date, others suggested checking in with your pharmacist. As licensed medical professionals, pharmacists have the same confidentiality rules as a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
In British Columbia, pharmacists can write prescriptions and provide medication for certain ailments, including urinary tract infections, allergies, acne, cold sores, pink eye, sprains and strains, fungal infections, headaches, heartburn, hemorrhoids, hives and itching, impetigo, menstrual pain, nicotine dependence, pinworms, shingles, rashes and yeast infections.
Staying current on immunizations, such as the flu shot and Covid vaccine will also help keep folks healthy.
For alternative care, there are often video and phone appointments available through My Telus Health and other apps, however this is not a fulsome solution as doctors on these platforms have a limited scope and cannot handle medical emergencies, provide physical examinations or prescribe restricted medications.
Digital health care is also dependent on internet connection, which may hinder accessibility.
To join the provincial waitlist for a new doctor, patients can call 811 or visit healthlinkbc.ca.
The registry not only supports individuals in need of care, but also informs government decisions about where to allocate healthcare resources. By registering, Sun Peaks residents can help demonstrate the ongoing need for primary care access in the region.
O’Toole encouraged residents to continue to reach out to the municipality through phone at (250) 578-2020 or by email at cao@sunpeaksmunicipality.ca with questions, adding SPMRM will release more information as soon as possible.
“I can confidently say that we’re doing everything in our power to remove hurdles, to make this process as simple and workable as as it can be.”
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