---
title: "Chilliwack-Cultus Lake NDP Candidate Pledges $8 Million for Hospital MRI"
description: "BC NDP candidate Kelli Paddon said on October 21 that a re-elected NDP government would contribute $8 million toward an MRI machine for Chilliwack General Hospital, where $14 million has already been raised locally."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/kelli-paddon-mri-chilliwack-hospital-ndp-pledge-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-22T23:48:03.961Z"
---

BC NDP candidate Kelli Paddon announced on October 21, 2026, that a re-elected BC NDP government would contribute $8 million toward an MRI machine at Chilliwack General Hospital, Fraser Valley Today reported. She made the announcement at Sardis Park in Chilliwack, three days before the October 24 provincial election.

Paddon is the incumbent MLA running in Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Community groups have already raised $14 million toward the Chilliwack General Hospital MRI project, according to Fraser Valley Today. The article names the Chilliwack Hospital Foundation, the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, and community donors as contributors to that total.

Paddon said, as quoted by Fraser Valley Today: "People in Chilliwack deserve access to care in their own community and no one should have to travel elsewhere to get the care they need." She said she is "happy to be part of the BC NDP team that will help deliver this important service to our community."

The $8 million is a conditional campaign pledge: it depends on the BC NDP winning the election. The NDP has not published a separate budget document for this commitment. Fraser Valley Today does not state the full cost of the MRI project, so this site cannot confirm whether the $14 million already raised and the pledged $8 million cover the total.

Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove is quoted calling the project "a priority for our community for many years." Jason Lum, identified in the article as mayor-elect, is quoted saying he is committed to working with Fraser Health to begin construction within 12 months of funding being secured. Neither Popove nor Lum is a candidate in the provincial election.

Voters in Chilliwack-Cultus Lake who want to weigh this pledge before Saturday can read Kelli Paddon's candidate page at [/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/kelli-paddon](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/kelli-paddon) and the district page at [/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/chilliwack-cultus-lake](/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/chilliwack-cultus-lake). Voting day is October 24, 2026.

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