Providence is hiring for more than 1,000 roles at the new St. Paul's Hospital. As the new hospital prepares to open in early 2027, Providence Health Care is building a diverse team across nursing, allied health, support services and skilled trades St. Paul's Hospital has anchored health care in Vancouver for more than a century. Now, as the new St. Paul's Hospital prepares to open in early 2027, Providence Health Care is recruiting for more than 1,000 new positions, including opportunities for nursing, allied health professionals, and support services like housekeeping and food services. A legacy reimagined. The new hospital is part of an integrated campus bringing care, research and education together under one vision. For Providence, that shift represents something bigger than a move into a new building. "It's about carrying that legacy forward in a way that meets the needs of the future," says Sandy Barr, director of Transition Planning for the new St. Paul's Hospital. "It's one of those rare moments where you get to pause and ask what health care should look like going forward and then actually build towards that." Nowhere is that more visible than in nursing. Providence is hiring across emergency, operating room, critical care, cardiac, mental health and medicine - roles that will anchor units designed from scratch rather than retrofitted. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Cardiac Surgery ICU, Cardiac ICU and High-Acuity units are planned on the same floor so teams can work across beds instead of in silos, with the emergency department planned as four separate treatment zones so higher acuity patients reach care sooner. Providence is also investing in nurses who want to develop specialty expertise in areas such as emergency and critical care. Nurses can access funded specialty education, including tuition and textbooks and, in some cases, wages during training. Buddy shifts, simulation labs and mentorship also help nurses build their skills and confidence. Beyond the bedside. Nursing isn't the only clinical priority. Respiratory therapy and social work are also core to how the new hospital will run, supporting everything from the redesigned Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where single patient rooms replace the current shared nursery model, to the new Medical Mental Health unit, which brings psychiatry, medicine, nursing and allied health together around trauma-informed care. The hiring push goes well past clinical roles too. Providence is also looking for people in food services, environmental services, logistics, security and skilled trades, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians and shift engineers - all of whom keep a hospital this size running day to day. "Very few people get the opportunity to help bring a new hospital to life," says Barr. "Whether you're a nurse, allied health professional, support staff member or skilled tradesperson, joining Providence now means becoming part of the team that will prepare the new St. Paul's Hospital to serve patients for generations to come." Joining before the doors open means having a hand in decisions that will shape how the hospital runs for decades, rather than stepping into a system that already exists. Those interested in exploring opportunities at the new St. Paul's Hospital can connect with Providence Health Care's talent community to stay informed as roles open. This has not been shared. Be the first! Is Vancouver's local news important to you? Get your daily Vancouver news briefing.

Vancouver Liberals oppose secure care plan for old St. Paul's site bought for $1 billion. Vancouver mayoral candidate Kareem Allam launched a campaign on Sept. 28 against a proposal to put a secure treatment facility on part of the old St. Paul's Hospital campus, Daily Hive reported. Developer Concord Pacific acquired the 6.6-acre Burrard Street property for about $1 billion in 2020. Allam, who leads the Vancouver Liberals, is urging voters to reject both questions in the advisory public safety plebiscite on the Oct. 17 civic ballot. The party has no affiliation with the federal or provincial parties of the same name. Interim use of a redevelopment site. Mayor Ken Sim's ABC Vancouver party wants the City to ask the Province to convert part of the campus, or a similar site, into a facility with voluntary care and more than 100 involuntary care beds. ABC sees it as a temporary use lasting several years after Providence Health Care moves to the new hospital in the False Creek Flats, which begins receiving patients in 2027. Concord Pacific bought the site for a high-density, mixed-use redevelopment, with the proceeds helping to pay for the new hospital. Daily Hive reported that construction could still be a decade away because of weak housing demand. The developer has not prepared a master plan or filed a rezoning application, and it has said it would discuss temporary uses with governments. The old buildings already have room for more than 70 beds of this kind. Concord has also extended Providence's lease beyond 2027 for researchers, because the new research building at the False Creek Flats campus will not be finished until 2029. Allam's objections. Allam said he supports involuntary care in some circumstances but opposes the downtown location, between Davie Village and the Central Business District. He also pointed to the potential capital cost of adapting the buildings, even for temporary use. Asked for an alternative site in Vancouver, he said he knew of none suitable for a facility of that size. He suggested the plan could amount to a bailout for Concord Pacific, arguing the land was bought before the real estate downturn. In a Vancouver Liberals press release, Allam said the mayor was offering land the City does not own. He said the site should be used for housing, businesses and public spaces. Dr. Moira Stilwell, a physician, former BC Liberal cabinet minister and Vancouver Liberals council candidate, said she has worked at St. Paul's for more than 30 years. She cited a Providence review that found earthquake vulnerabilities in parts of the campus. She also said the layout cannot provide the share of single-patient rooms that modern secure units aim for, and that upkeep is increasingly costly. Plebiscite and provincial role. The result of the plebiscite is advisory. Allam said in the release that it would not create a treatment bed, since the Province would have to deliver any facility. He proposes a formal agreement among the City, the Province and Ottawa on mental health, addiction, housing and public safety. Premier David Eby announced two involuntary care facilities elsewhere in B.C. this past summer. The Province will spend $149 million converting a former addiction recovery facility in Surrey and a former youth corrections facility in Prince George into 132 beds in total, opening in phases between late 2027 and late 2028. ABC's proposal has support from Downtown Van, the local business improvement association, as well as the BC Schizophrenia Society and addictions researcher Dr. Julian Somers.