--- title: "Mayor Hurley asks new BC government for Burnaby Hospital funding, housing rule changes" description: "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." canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/burnaby-2026/news/burnaby-mayor-hurley-hospital-housing-provincial-asks-november-2026" last_updated: "2026-11-08T16:31:38.621Z" --- 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](/bc/burnaby-2026/candidates/mike-hurley#promise-burnaby-hospital-phase-2). 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](/bc/burnaby-2026/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](/bc/burnaby-2026/candidates/mike-hurley#promise-expand-wildfire-warning-system). 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](/bc/burnaby-2026/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](/bc/burnaby-2026/candidates/mike-hurley). ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/burnaby-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.