B.C. cancer patients will no longer go to U.S. for treatment, province announces

Cancer patients in British Columbia will no longer be referred to clinics in Bellingham, Wash., for care, Health Minister Josie Osborne announced on Monday. The decision was not a result of the current U.S.-Canada trade war but was due to declining participation in the program and shorter wait times for care in B.C.

Osborne emphasized that the focus has always been on delivering more cancer care closer to home. The investments made in more oncologists, radiation therapy, therapists, and improved hospital facilities have helped reduce wait times for cancer treatment in the province.

The program, which allowed 1,107 cancer patients to complete radiation treatment in Bellingham, was introduced to address long delays for treatment within B.C. At its peak in the fall of 2023, about 50 British Columbians a week received care in Bellingham.

The cancellation of the program comes two years after it was first announced and will conclude when contracts with the two private U.S. clinics expire at the end of May. The province has spent over $32 million on the program as of the end of March 2025.

Interest in seeking care through these clinics has declined as wait times for treatment within B.C. have improved. Currently, about 93 per cent of British Columbians are waiting less than four weeks to start radiation treatment, exceeding the national benchmark of 90 per cent.

While the cancellation of the program is seen as a positive development in terms of providing care closer to home, there are concerns about the impact on the waitlist for cancer treatment. The B.C. Rural Health Network and B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad are cautious about potential delays in treatment for patients.

Despite the cancellation of the program, the Ministry of Health assures that the health-care system has the capacity to treat patients within B.C. It has made efforts to recruit more oncologists and radiation therapists to meet the demand for cancer care.

The province currently has six cancer care centres and is working to add more in Nanaimo, Kamloops, Surrey, and Burnaby. The focus is on ensuring that patients receive timely and quality care within British Columbia.

While some patients who received treatment in Bellingham reported satisfaction with the care they received, the availability of care closer to home is considered a positive development. The decision to end the program reflects the province’s commitment to providing efficient and effective cancer care for British Columbians.