BUSINESS IN SURREY: The health and life sciences boom

In the past decade, Surrey’s City Centre has evolved into a hub for biotechnology and health technology. A two-kilometre stretch of the city’s downtown core has become B.C.’s go-to hub for innovation in the sector.

And big things are continuing to happen, thanks to government investments in infrastructure and talent development.

Nearly $2 billion in capital has been invested in the city for new health facilities, including investments in a new state-of-the-art hospital and cancer centre.

The province has also committed to establishing B.C.’s second medical school at the SFU Surrey campus in the city’s core.

As part of Surrey’s Innovation Boulevard, Surrey City Centre’s Health and Technology District, located across from Surrey Memorial Hospital, is home to more than 220 life science companies and health-care institutions, seeing an estimated 2,500 patients a day.

HEALTHTECH CONNEX: INNOVATING TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES 

HTC’s work is based out of the Health and Technology District, which was developed and built by HTC’s parent company, the Lark Group. 

Since 2013, HealthTech Connex (HTC) has been developing technology-based innovations with the goal of positively impacting health improvements and outcomes. Its three companies, NeuroCatch Inc., The Centre for Neurology Studies, and the Surrey Neuroplasticity Clinic, are all doing groundbreaking work on the science of brain health out of Surrey.

In May, they were one of two companies in Canada chosen to participate in the annual MedTech Innovator cohort, the world’s largest accelerator of medical technology companies. In June, HealthTech Connex (HTC) was awarded $1 million by the Canadian government for its revolutionary work on detecting concussions; the funding will go towards developing its solution to support diagnosis and prognosis for concussion recovery. NeuroCatch also won a Gold Globee® award in the Medical Equipment category in recognition of their groundbreaking contributions.

NEW HOSPITAL BREAKS GROUND

The provincial government broke ground on the new Surrey hospital in September 2023, and it is due to open to the public in 2030. The hospital will be fully electric, the first in B.C. 

“As a fully digitally equipped community hospital, this facility will usher in a new era for acute care in our region, enabling us to increase our regional capacity in areas such as emergency, surgical, inpatient, ambulatory care, diagnostics and cancer care services, while better supporting patient-centred care, closer to home,” said former Fraser Health president and chief executive officer, Dr. Victoria Lee. 

The new hospital will add 168 more beds, including 55 treatment spaces in the ER and medical and surgical beds, and it will also have high-acuity beds and medical oncology beds.

The hospital will be home to a new BC Cancer Centre that will be able to perform about 100,000 cancer treatments per year.

MEDICAL SCHOOL AT SFU: SURREY

Simon Fraser University continues to lead the way towards a stronger, healthier, more inclusive tomorrow for students, staff and the community as a whole.

The university is working with the provincial government to enhance primary care and access to family doctors all across B.C., by building the first medical school in Western Canada since 1967.

Simon Fraser University anticipates opening the doors to their brand new medical school in the fall of 2026. The school curriculum will prepare graduates to meet the needs of B.C.’s diverse communities with patient-centred, community-level care that is socially accountable and embedded with Indigenous knowledge systems.

In July 2024, Premier David Eby announced $33.7 million in capital funding for the school’s interim campus in Surrey’s city centre and $27 million in operational funding as well as the appointment of Dr. David J. Price as the founding dean. 

“We’re training a new generation of doctors with a focus on family medicine to provide the services we need in our communities,” Eby said. “This investment in the first entirely new medical school in Western Canada in 55 years will mean more family doctors graduating each year to provide care for people.”

Forty-eight students are anticipated to be in the inaugural class of the three-year program. 

UBC IN SURREY

Currently, UBC has a facility in the Health and Technology District which has been heavily supported by provincial funding. As part of the StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, the Province invested $24.9 million into capital costs for the facility. In September 2024, the provincial government announced that more people will have the opportunity to train there for in-demand careers, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and midwives. 

DID YOU KNOW? 

• Surrey has nearly 900 businesses related to health, including traditional clinic and hospital settings, research institutions and private health support companies

• The Health and Technology District in Surrey continues to grow. Current estimates project that the district will create more than 1.5 million square feet of technology innovation space in Surrey, offer more than15,000 high-quality jobs, and contribute more than $1.1 billion annually to the local economy.

– Anna Burns and Invest Surrey 

This content is part of the Surrey Economic Development 2025 magazine, produced by Surrey Now-Leader, the Surrey Board of Trade and the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce. You can find the full e-edition here.