A Fraser Health meeting with the Ocean Park community broke down Friday morning before it could begin.
Following earlier criticisms of the decision – announced last month – to close the Ocean Park Laboratory March 2, Fraser Health senior representatives set up a meeting at Ocean Park Community Hall to hear concerns.
After a moderator read out the ground rules before planned discussion in five different groups, one of the attendees asked the moderator if the meeting would make any difference to the decision to relocate the laboratory to an existing facility.
Fraser Health’s communications representative Dave Lefebvre told the attendees that, no, the decision has been made and the laboratory will be relocated to Peace Arch Hospital.
Upon hearing this, more than half of the approximately 130 attendees got up and left the room, making their distaste heard on their way out.
“This is pretty useless,” Ocean Park resident Don Brown told Peace Arch News on his way out of the facility. “I took time out of work to be here for a decision that’s already made…
“I thought we were going to be given a chance to have a say and they would consider what the people had to say. Here, there was no consideration.”
After a bulk of the attendees left, Fraser Health and Provincial Health Services Authority representatives held round-table discussions with remaining residents.
South Surrey-White Rock MLA Tracey Redies called the meeting a “sham.”
“The whole process has been misguided from the start,” she told PAN. “Right now they’re consulting with people, but they’ve already made the decision. It seems like they’ve got it the wrong way.”
Redies noted that seniors with mobility challenges walked through the ice and snow to get to the meeting, and that “Fraser Health has indicated that their voices don’t matter.”
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Lefebvre, however, told PAN that the meeting “was as advertised,” and its intention “was about hearing peoples concerns.”
“I’m just glad that there are a number of people still behind and we do want to hear about their concerns. There are ways that we can help,” he said.
While residents were walking out of the facility, Surrey Coun. Mary Martin approached PAN and said that prior to the meeting, she requested to be granted time to speak at the event. She said that she “was denied” by Fraser Health population health and chief medical officer Dr. Victoria Lee.
“I’m furious,” Martin said. “There was no public consultation. I don’t think they realize that there are 9,000 seniors that live in the Crescent Beach/Ocean Park area that utilize this lab.”
Martin, along with Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner, wrote a letter to provincial Minister of Health Adrian Dix, urging him to look into the decision or provide a mobile alternative that could serve the residents in need.
The letter – sent on an Office of the Mayor letterhead – was dated Feb. 22.
Both Martin and Redies said they heard residents say they would withhold donations to the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, which wasn’t involved in the decision-making process.
“To affect Peace Arch Hospital Foundation because of this nonsensical decision made by Fraser Health is simply punitive,” Martin said.
At a public board meeting earlier this month, Fraser Health board president Michael Marchbank said the existing laboratory needed renovations costing an estimated $50,000–$60,000, and approximately $50,000 is spent per year on “non-labour costs.”
However, Lefebvre told PAN Friday that finances are “not a primary concern” for the change.
“Is it something that we looked at? Absolutely,” Lefebvre said. “The real reason we’re looking at it is making sure we’re providing care to the entire region adequately. The reality is there is an excellent lab at Peace Arch (Hospital) and there’s two between here and Peace Arch.”
