Mission, B.C. residents demand urgent action amid persistent ER closures

Mission resident Leanne Smythe says it's frightening to think about what could happen if people can't rely on the emergency room at Mission Memorial Hospital.

She had to take her kids there when they were growing up, but she fears for people who take their children to the ER and cannot get the healthcare they need.

Smythe was one of dozens of local residents, health-care workers and local leaders rallying in the rain outside the hospital on Saturday, calling for the Fraser Health Authority to take immediate action to prevent further overnight emergency room closures.

Last Sunday, the ER closed to new patients between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday to ensure everyone already in the department could be seen by a doctor before their shift ended at 11 p.m. PT.

It was the sixth time this year doctor shortages have affected Mission Memorial's emergency department — a problem that has been plaguing hospitals across the province.

"If we don’t get off the couch and get out, the government has a reason to ignore us,” Smythe said.

Many of the demonstrators carried signs reading “Mission Matters” and “Health Care Matters,” demanding Fraser Health increase staffing support, restore full-time service and improve transparency around closures.

Abbotsford–Mission MLA Reann Gasper, who organized the rally, says the provincial government needs to get its "act together."

"Do something that the people in this community can actually feel the change,” she told the crowd.

Mission Memorial’s medical director, Dr. Paul Theron, told CBC News the closures are the result of overlapping pressures, including a physical emergency department that’s still recovering from serious damage.

“Part of the problem dates back to when our ER had an unexpected flood in January of 2024,” he said.

The department was forced to move into a former endoscopy preparation and recovery area elsewhere in the hospital, a space he calls “very much not fit for purpose.”

“That led to an exodus of some of our permanent physician staff, who felt that they weren’t practicing in a safe environment,” he said.

Renovations are underway.