The Dawson Creek Fire Fighters Association has given $10,200 to help create a welcoming family room inside the new Dawson Creek hospital that is now being built. The donation was presented to the Dawson Creek & District Hospital Foundation at an event on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, and will go directly toward furnishing and finishing the special space.
The idea for the family room came directly from the difficult experience of Captain Brooks Gower, a Dawson Creek firefighter who was badly hurt while on duty. In October 2025, Gower was hit by a vehicle while responding to an incident on Highway 97 near Groundbirch. He spent a long time in hospital, and his own family’s journey made it clear how much a comfortable, private room can mean for families going through a medical crisis.
To raise even more money for the project, the fire fighters association is now selling tickets for a raffle with a 2026 Polaris Sportsman 570 ATV as the prize. All money from ticket sales will go toward developing and furnishing the family room in the new hospital. Tickets are available through the association’s Facebook page and on RaffleNexus, with the deadline to buy them set for September 1, 2026.
The new Dawson Creek & District Hospital is a $590 million project that is being built by Graham Design Builders LP. Construction is running ahead of schedule, and the builder now expects the building to be substantially complete by September 29, 2026, rather than the original date of November 30, 2026. When it opens, the 263,000 square foot hospital will have 70 inpatient beds, a bigger emergency department with 15 treatment spaces, two operating rooms, and will meet LEED Gold environmental standards.
The June 10 cheque presentation was attended by Captain Gower and his family, Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober, Councillor Kye McDonald, and representatives from the hospital foundation. The foundation continues to work hard on its separate Clear Picture MRI Campaign, which has reached 91 percent of its $3 million goal to bring a new MRI machine to the hospital.
