Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is one step closer to replacing Hilltop House, announcing the health authority is on the hunt for qualified personnel to help the building come to life.
Squamish’s Hilltop House is a long-term care facility in a two-storey building that was built in 1984 and expanded in 2009.
It is connected to Squamish General Hospital via a walkway and serves the entire Sea to Sky Corridor.
VCH has launched a request for qualifications process for the project at 42000 Loggers Lane that will bring 152 beds in the new long-term care home, nearly doubling the capacity of the current Hilltop House.
The health authority bought the property from the District in 2024 for $17.49 million.
The $285-million project, which was announced in September 2024, is scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with doors expected to open by 2030.
The new facility will be on Loggers Lane, just seven minutes from the current Hilltop House.
“The new Hilltop House will be designed to create a more home-like environment for residents, with a care model that includes small group living arrangements, private bedrooms and bathrooms, and shared spaces for dining, recreation, and outdoor access,” reads a press release from VCH.
In the initial announcement for the project last year, it was said the five-storey home would add 58 new long-term care beds and four hospice beds.
“It will also replace 90 beds at Hilltop House, including 85 long-term care beds, one respite bed and four hospice beds. The new home will also offer a 10-space day program for older adults and child-care space for 37 children,” the announcement read.
The new site will be built, owned, and operated by VCH.
According to the BC Government website, the purpose of the request for qualifications “is to invite interested parties to submit responses indicating their interest in, and qualifications” for the project.
It is not a tender, offer, or request for proposals.
“Based on these responses, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority intends to select, in accordance with the terms of this RFQ, a shortlist of up to six qualified proponents to be invited to participate in the next stage of the competitive selection process, the request for proposals stage,” reads the website.
Construction timelines will be confirmed once procurement is complete, with the bid process expected to conclude by spring 2026.
The RFQ, however, is not solely for the Squamish project, it is also for the West Vancouver Long-Term Care Facility Project at 525 Clyde Avenue.
According to the VCH press release, the West Vancouver RFQ is to help explore opportunities for increased long-term care capacity at the former location of the Capilano Care Centre, which closed in 2022.
“This proposed site is anticipated to have a minimum of 210 long-term care beds,” the press release said.
Previously, the Capilano Care Centre was run by the private firm Revera. In 2021, the company deemed the aging 205-bed facility—first built in 1973—to be too old, outdated and expensive to bring up to modern standards.
Vancouver Coastal Health bought the property in 2023 for $34.5 million.
~With files from Brent Richter/North Shore News.
