Mayor Hurley asks new BC government for Burnaby Hospital funding, housing rule changes
Mayor Mike Hurley has published a letter asking the new provincial government for a clear timeline on Burnaby Hospital Phase 2, changes to housing density laws, and stable wildfire funding.
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Mayor Mike Hurley published a public letter to Burnaby residents on November 5, 2026, asking the new BC Conservative government for three things: a clear timeline for Burnaby Hospital Phase 2, changes to housing density laws, and stable funding for wildfire prevention. All three connect to promises he made in the 2026 election, now tracked on this site.
Burnaby Hospital: a building from 1952 serving 500,000 people
The letter's most detailed section is about Burnaby Hospital. Hurley writes that the hospital was built in 1952, when Burnaby had a population of 58,000 people. It now serves more than 500,000.
The City's letter states that Burnaby has 0.58 acute-care beds per 1,000 residents. The BC average is 1.46 per 1,000. Vancouver has 2.9 per 1,000, and Surrey has 1.0 per 1,000. The letter says Burnaby's figure is projected to fall further, to 0.41 per 1,000 by 2032.
The Province approved $210 million for Phase 1 of a hospital redevelopment. Phase 1 included a new Health Care Pavilion, which Fraser Health opened on March 10, 2026. It added acute-care beds and new facilities to the site, connecting to the hospital's existing West Wing by a central corridor. Phase 2 carries an approved capital budget of $1.8 billion, according to the letter, but the City says no timeline for delivery has been announced.
Hurley's ask: earmark the full $1.8 billion in approved capital funding, set a clear timeline, and deliver Phase 2 as originally approved with no reduction in scope. This is one of the promises on Mayor Hurley's tracker page.
The letter says the Province designated Burnaby Hospital a priority project in 2019. It does not say what has changed since then, only that "a clear timeline" has not been given.
Housing rules: asking to repeal Bills 44 and 47
The letter addresses two provincial housing laws, Bill 44 and Bill 47.
Bill 44 allows up to six homes on a single-family lot anywhere in BC. Bill 47 requires buildings of between eight and twenty storeys within a set distance of SkyTrain stations. The City says these rules do not give Burnaby the flexibility to plan density where infrastructure can support it.
Hurley writes: "It is our aim in Burnaby to allow density where new housing is needed, where it can be supported by infrastructure and public services." The letter asks the Province to review and repeal both bills, and to restore the flexibility of Burnaby's Community Benefit Bonus program.
The City's letter describes the current approach as a "one-size-fits-all" set of rules. The new premier-designate, Lorne Doerkson, has said his government would work to return housing and land-use decisions to local governments, and the mayor's letter treats that statement as an opening.
That program allowed the City to approve extra density in exchange for contributions to local facilities, such as parks, daycares, and roads. The City says it let Burnaby grow while staying free of debt. The letter says provincial housing rules have reduced the City's ability to use this voluntary exchange.
The letter notes that 25,000 approved units remain unbuilt in Burnaby, and that there are more than 14,000 unsold newly completed condominiums in Metro Vancouver. The mayor uses these figures to argue that forcing more density through provincial rules does not address the real barriers to building.
Repealing Bills 25, 44 and 47 is a promise Hurley made in the 2026 campaign, listed on the Burnaby promise tracker.
Wildfire funding: asking for more than one year at a time
Hurley's third ask is about FireSmart, the wildfire prevention program the City has used on Burnaby Mountain. The letter says funding for the program is confirmed only one year at a time, making it hard to retain trained staff and carry out work that takes several years to plan and execute.
The letter says the Province announced a new technology fund for wildfire prevention, and welcomes it. Hurley writes that the program needs more than a new fund: it needs "stable, predictable and long-term funding" so the City can keep trained staff year to year rather than hiring and rehiring. Hurley notes he spent 30 years as a firefighter before entering municipal politics.
This connects to a campaign promise to extend the wildfire early warning system now on Burnaby Mountain to Central Park and Robert Burnaby Park, listed on his tracker page. The letter says that in an emergency, "preparedness is everything."
What comes next
The City published the letter on November 5, 2026. As of November 8, the City's website shows no provincial response.
The letter says BC's new MLAs are due to be sworn in later in November 2026. The City's asks are specific enough to follow: a confirmed timeline for Phase 2 of the hospital, action on Bill 44 and Bill 47, and a multi-year funding commitment for FireSmart.
The status of each of Hurley's asks to the Province will be tracked on the Burnaby promise tracker as evidence is published. All three promises are currently listed as not started, meaning no public action has been taken on them since the election.
Residents who want to read the full letter can find it on the City of Burnaby's website under the news section titled "From housing to Burnaby Hospital: welcoming the new provincial government," dated November 5, 2026. Mayor Hurley's full set of campaign promises is on his tracker page.
Questions this story answers
What did Mayor Hurley ask the new BC government for in his November 5 letter?
Mayor Mike Hurley asked the new BC Conservative government for three things: a clear timeline for delivering Burnaby Hospital Phase 2 as originally approved, with the full $1.8 billion in capital funding committed; a review and repeal of Bills 44 and 47, which set housing density rules the City says do not fit Burnaby's needs; and stable, long-term funding for the FireSmart wildfire prevention program, which is currently funded one year at a time. The letter was published on the City of Burnaby's website on November 5, 2026.
Why does Burnaby say Burnaby Hospital needs to be rebuilt?
Burnaby Hospital was built in 1952, when the city had a population of 58,000 people. It now serves more than 500,000 people. The City says Burnaby has only 0.58 acute-care beds per 1,000 residents, compared to a BC average of 1.46 per 1,000. The letter says that number is projected to fall to 0.41 by 2032. For comparison, Vancouver has 2.9 beds per 1,000 residents and Surrey has 1.0 per 1,000. The Province approved $210 million in Phase 1 funding, and Phase 2 carries an approved capital budget of $1.8 billion, but no timeline for delivery has been set.
What are Bills 44 and 47, and why does Burnaby want them changed?
Bill 44 and Bill 47 are BC provincial laws that set housing density rules for all municipalities. Bill 44 allows up to six homes on a single-family lot across the province. Bill 47 requires buildings of between eight and twenty storeys within a set distance of SkyTrain stations. Mayor Hurley's letter says these one-size-fits-all rules do not give Burnaby the flexibility to plan density where infrastructure can support it. The City says it wants to allow density in the right places without being forced to build where services and roads cannot handle it. Burnaby's tracker shows this ask is a promise Hurley made in the 2026 campaign.
What is the FireSmart program, and what is Burnaby asking for?
FireSmart is a wildfire prevention and preparedness program that Burnaby has used to reduce fire risk on Burnaby Mountain and in other forested areas of the city. The City says funding for the program is confirmed only one year at a time, which makes it hard to retain trained staff and plan work over several years. Mayor Hurley's letter asks the provincial government for stable, predictable, long-term funding rather than annual grants. This connects to a campaign promise to extend the wildfire warning system to Central Park and Robert Burnaby Park.
What did the new BC Conservative government say in response?
The letter cites a statement from premier-designate Lorne Doerkson, who said the new government would work to return housing and land-use decisions to local governments. The City of Burnaby's letter was published on November 5, 2026. As of the date of this article, the City has published no response from the provincial government. BC's new MLAs are due to be sworn in later in November 2026.
How many Burnaby council promises does this letter connect to?
Mayor Hurley made at least three campaign promises that this letter connects to directly. The first is to press the Province to return zoning control and repeal Bills 25, 44 and 47, which allow up to six homes on a single-family lot. The second is to press the Province to move ahead with Phase 2 of Burnaby Hospital. The third is to extend the wildfire warning system to Central Park and Robert Burnaby Park, which is linked to the broader ask for FireSmart funding. All three are listed with no evidence yet on the Burnaby promise tracker at voche.me.
Where can Burnaby residents read the mayor's full letter?
The full letter from Mayor Mike Hurley is on the City of Burnaby's website at burnaby.ca, published on November 5, 2026, under the news section titled 'From housing to Burnaby Hospital: welcoming the new provincial government'. The letter is addressed to Burnaby residents. Mayor Hurley's campaign promises on these subjects are listed on the Burnaby promise tracker at voche.me/bc/burnaby-2026/tracker.
What is the Community Benefit Bonus program, and why is it in the letter?
The Community Benefit Bonus program was a tool that allowed Burnaby to approve extra development density in exchange for contributions to local facilities and infrastructure, such as parks, daycares, and roads. The City says the program let it grow while staying debt-free. The letter asks the new provincial government to restore the City's flexibility to use this voluntary exchange, which the mayor says the current provincial housing rules have limited.
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