St. Paul's Hospital: Vancouver's Healthcare Revolution
St. Paul's Hospital moves to False Creek Flats in 2027. $2.174B project brings 548 beds, cutting-edge care to Vancouver's new medical campus.
St. Pauls Vancouver
By Elke Porter | WBN News Vancouver | January 13, 2026
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After 130 years at its downtown Burrard Street location, St. Paul's Hospital is moving to an 18-acre site on Station Street in Vancouver's False Creek Flats neighbourhood, with doors expected to open in 2027. The $2.174 billion redevelopment represents British Columbia's largest hospital project and signals a transformative shift in how healthcare will be delivered across the province.
The new facility will offer capacity for up to 548 beds, which includes 115 new beds, making it nearly twice the size of the current hospital. The 1.2 million square foot acute care hospital will be connected by sky bridge to the over 400,000 square foot Clinical Support and Research Centre, creating a first-in-Canada integrated medical campus comparable to renowned institutions like Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic.
Providence Health Care, a Catholic faith-based organization, owns and operates St. Paul's Hospital. Approximately 4,000 people currently work at St. Paul's Hospital, though specific breakdowns of doctors, nurses, and support staff for the new facility have not been publicly detailed. The hospital will continue offering specialized provincial programs in heart and lung care, renal services, specialty surgeries and transplants, eating disorders, HIV/AIDS care, chronic disease management, emergency and critical care, mental health and addictions, and colorectal services.
Construction began in early 2021, with over 10 million worker hours completed on site and over 1,850 tradespeople working daily. The Clinical Support and Research Centre is anticipated to open early 2029, following the main hospital's 2027 launch.
The transition from the West End to the False Creek Flats has been contentious for the community, particularly among seniors. At a 2016 community meeting to discuss the hospital's planned move, West End seniors expressed upset about needing to travel to healthcare services that were previously within walking distance. With only 28 percent of West End residents owning cars, accessibility became a central concern for the neighbourhood's aging population.
Vancouver Coastal Health has committed that all existing services currently offered in the West End and Downtown will remain after St. Paul's Hospital relocates, with plans to expand, enhance and improve access to these services over the next several years, with a particular focus on services for the frail elderly, the chronically ill and those struggling with mental health and substance use.
Whether seniors will physically relocate to be near the new hospital remains a personal decision, influenced by factors beyond healthcare access alone. The West End will maintain Vancouver Coastal Health services, though the loss of a full-service hospital in the neighbourhood represents a significant change after more than a century of St. Paul's presence on Burrard Street.
The new St. Paul's Hospital promises cutting-edge technology, seismic resilience, and a patient-first design that will serve British Columbians for generations to come, even as it leaves behind a community deeply connected to its original home.
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TAGS: #St Pauls Hospital #Vancouver Healthcare #False Creek Flats #BC Health #Providence HealthCare #Vancouver News #WBN News Vancouver #Elke Porter
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