Mid Island Co-op Pledges to Match $1 Million in Donations to new BC Cancer Centre in Nanaimo

BC Cancer Foundation is thrilled to announce a $1 million matching pledge from Mid Island Co-op to bring the new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo to life. Donors can now double the impact of their donation and help transform how patients on Vancouver Island access care.

With over 80,000 members, Mid Island Co-op is a leader in the region and committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Today’s announcement is the largest gift in Mid Island Co-op’s history, highlighting the importance of the BC Cancer centre for local communities.

“Mid Island Co-op is proud to partner with the BC Cancer Foundation and contribute to the development of the new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo that will serve cancer patients on Vancouver Island north of the Malahat,” says Ian Anderson, Mid Island Co-op’s CEO. “This is not only an investment into the healthcare structure of our region, but also in our company’s belief in the power of community and giving back. We encourage other organizations to contribute to the BC Cancer Foundation and the new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo.”

“The BC Cancer Foundation is honoured by the generosity of Mid Island Co-op,” says William Litchfield, BC Cancer Foundation’s Executive Director – Vancouver Island. “The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo is essential for improving access to care for patients and families up Island. We look forward to working with the community to fully realize Mid Island Co-op’s incredible gift.”

With over half of Vancouver Island's population residing north of the Malahat, thousands of local patients travel to BC Cancer – Victoria for essential cancer care services, including oncology consultations, radiation therapy and PET/CT imaging scans. The emotional, physical and financial burden of travel to Victoria is tremendous and often complicated by treatment side-effects, wildfires or extreme weather.

The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo will house four linear accelerator radiation vaults, completing an estimated 20,000 treatment visits per year. Radiation requires highly specialized infrastructure and staffing only available at BC Cancer centres. The Nanaimo centre will also include a PET/CT scanner, CT simulator and an oncology ambulatory care unit for outpatient exams and consults.

BC Cancer Foundation donors were vital in building BC Cancer – Victoria into a world-class care facility, including fundraising $5 million to bring a PET/CT scanner to the centre – the first outside of Vancouver. Donor support will help ensure the BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo is equipped with those same, critical life-saving technologies.

Over 6,000 cancer cases are diagnosed on the Island each year and the number is increasing due to an aging and growing population. The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo will bring care closer to home for local communities and increase Vancouver Island’s capacity for treatments.

Donate today and double your impact: https://bccancerfoundation.com/NanaimoMatch

For inquiries, please contact communityrelations@midisland.crs. 

About the BC Cancer Foundation

The BC Cancer Foundation is the fundraising partner of BC Cancer and the largest philanthropic funder of cancer research and care in B.C. Donor support drives leading-edge innovations and helps increase access to treatments across the province – fueling hope for the 80,000 patients who depend on BC Cancer each year.

About Mid Island Co-op 

Located on Vancouver Island, BC, Mid Island Co-op has been in business since 1959 and was created by local citizens as an alternative way to provide themselves with goods and services. We currently have more than 80,000 members throughout our territory, spanning from Cowichan Valley to Port Hardy. In order to serve our members better, we are continuing to expand and develop Mid Island Co-op throughout the Mid Vancouver Island Region. All of our profits stay in the communities we serve through re-investment in the Co-op, equity allocations to our member-owners and through contributions to community organizations and local youth.

Pictures of the Announcement Event on May 23, 2024: 

Mid Island Co-op's CEO, Ian Anderson, welcoming the crowd of community members.

James Bowen, Mid Island Co-op's Board President

Adele Cave, Special Guest Speaker and Cancer Survivor 

William Litchfield, Executive Director of the BC Cancer Foundation