NEWS | Construction Start Celebration for Just Like Home Lodge & Workforce Housing
The SRD together with its partners the Campbell River Hospital Foundation and Seymour Pacific Homes gathered yesterday, September 10th to celebrate the official start of construction.
(Campbell River, BC) – The Strathcona Regional District (SRD), together with its partners the Campbell River Hospital Foundation and Seymour Pacific Homes gathered yesterday, September 10th to celebrate the official start of construction for the Just Like Home (JLH) Lodge and Healthcare Workforce Housing project.
The milestone event took place on the traditional unceded territory of the Ligʷiłdax̌ʷ people and opened with a ground blessing led by Shawn Decaire, hereditary chief of the We Wai Kai Nation, together with his son, Kye Decaire. Community members, government officials and project partners came together to mark the beginning of a project that will strengthen healthcare access for the North Island and Central Coast region.
The Just Like Home Lodge will offer a safe, supportive, and affordable home-away-from-home for patients and their loved ones traveling to Campbell River for medical care not available in their communities. Conveniently located next to the Campbell River Hospital, the Lodge will feature ten private units with washrooms, alongside a shared kitchen, laundry, day room, and communal living spaces that provide the comforts of home. With accessibility and comfort at its core, the Lodge will help families stay close and focus on healing rather than the challenges of travel and accommodation.
The project also includes 20 workforce housing rental suites, ranging from studio to two-bedroom layouts. These self-contained units are designed to help attract and retain doctors, nurses, and other essential healthcare professionals by easing the region’s critical housing shortage. Together, the Lodge and workforce housing represent a transformative investment — enhancing patient care while strengthening the stability of the healthcare workforce across the region.
“This project is about more than construction — it’s about care, community, and hope,” said SRD Board Chair, Mark Baker. “The Just Like Home Lodge and Workforce Housing will directly benefit patients, families, and healthcare workers across 32 communities and improve healthcare access for more than 57,000 people in our region. Today’s groundbreaking is a true celebration of what collaboration and community spirit can achieve.”
The celebration also recognized the support and generosity of the project’s key partners:
- Campbell River Hospital Foundation and community donors, who have raised $2 million in capital support for the Lodge.
- The Mailman Family and Seymour Pacific Homes, whose expertise in quality housing development and community commitment have been instrumental in advancing the project.
Construction is now underway, with completion expected in the summer of 2026. To learn more about the project and subscribe for email updates — including notices when lodge bookings and workforce housing rentals become available — please visit justlikehomecr.ca.
Photos from today’s ceremony, including the ground blessing and shovel-turning with project partners, are enclosed.
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Media Contact
Dave Leitch, SRD Chief Administrative Officer – 250-830-6703 | dleitch@srd.ca
Shawn Decaire, Hereditary Chief of the We Wai Kai Nation, together with his son, Kye Decaire opened the event with a ground blessing.
SRD Board Chair, Mark Baker emceed the event attended by community members, government officials and project partners
Just Like Home Lodge Key Partners (left to right): Stacey Marsh, Executive Director of the Campbell River Hospital Foundation; Mark Baker, Chair of the Strathcona Regional District Board; and members of the Mailman Family of Seymour Pacific Homes — Kris D. Mailman & Vanessa Harms, Cheryl Mailman & Kris Mailman, and Amanda Mailman & Rob Marinus.
Just Like Home Lodge Event – Government officials in attendance (left to right): Kermit Dahl, Mayor of Campbell River; Aaron Gunn, MP for North Island–Powell River; Martin Davis, Mayor of Tahsis; Mark Baker, Mayor of Sayward; Robyn Mawhinney, SRD Electoral Area C Director; John Rice, SRD Electoral Area D Director; Ron Kerr, Councillor, City of Campbell River; and Anna Kindy, MLA for the North Island.