Location

The new hospital and health campus will be located in Vancouver’s False Creek Flats, about 3 km away from the current hospital on Burrard Street. It is bordered by Station Street, Prior Street, Trillium Park and National Avenue.

Accessibility

The location is highly accessible, close to major roads and key public transit such as Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station, several bus routes, and the Pacific Central Station. 

Size

The campus sits on an 18.4-acre site, about the size of 15 football fields, with enough space to accommodate the new buildings on the health campus and still have room for future expansion as health care needs evolve. Other possible future developments may include an Indigenous Wellness and Welcoming Centre, office space, a residential building, and life sciences buildings.

Close to areas with increasing patient needs 

The Station Street site is close to the Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood from where a growing number of patients are presenting to St. Paul’s Hospital, including its emergency department.

We acknowledge with gratitude that the Jim Pattison Medical Campus is being built on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. 

Traditionally known as Skwácháy̓s, meaning “water coming up from ground beneath” in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (language of the Squamish People), the False Creek area was once ecologically rich mudflats rich in seafood, plant medicines and other resources.

Many historic accounts identified underwater connections between Skwácháy̓s to bodies of water as far east as Lake Coquitlam. This area was an important sturgeon fishing place. Settler development in converting the historic marshland into land disrupted the delicate ecosystem that once thrived in this area.

In the early 20th century, the area was again transformed through industrial development and rail expansion, becoming a hub for Vancouver’s growing economy. Over time, it evolved to include a diverse mix of logistics, manufacturing, and creative enterprises. 

In the spring of 2021, Sulksun (Shane Pointe), a Coast Salish Knowledge Keeper led the appropriate ceremony and protocols to  bless the site of the campus. In this ceremony, the Squah-low-Beaver appeared to him and would not leave his mind. He realized that beavers are one of the few beings that change geography and ecosystems.  Beavers are builders. They re-develop land to build strong homes and safe structures.  That’s when he understood the land will come full circle, back to a place of healing and safety for self-identified Indigenous Peoples and their families when the new St. Paul’s Hospital opens in 2027. 

We thank the Knowledge Keepers who have gifted us this knowledge.