The Report on the Budget 2026 Consultation has now been tabled by the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, following public hearings and written submissions from across British Columbia. 

REPORT PAGE

Earlier this year, BCHPCA shared that we participated in the provincial budget consultation process to ensure the realities of hospice societies and community-based palliative care were part of the conversation. The final report reflects many of the issues hospice societies have long raised, including end-of-life care, grief, bereavement, caregiver support, and the need for stable funding for community-based services.

Hospice care, grief, and bereavement explicitly recognized

Notably, the Committee’s report explicitly acknowledges gaps in grief and bereavement services, including the specialized needs of families experiencing complex loss.

In the Health section of the report, the Committee notes a submission from Canuck Place Children’s Hospice Society, which:

"... called for increased investment to ensure adequate specialized grief and bereavement care for caregivers and siblings experiencing the death of a child, noting that there are gaps in specialized support for neonatal and infant loss, traumatic deaths, and sibling and family support.” (page 46)

This recognition is significant. It reflects what hospice societies across BC consistently report: grief and bereavement support is essential, specialized, and currently under-resourced, particularly for children, families, and caregivers navigating traumatic or complex loss.

A clear recommendation to invest in hospice and bereavement care

Importantly, the Committee goes further by including a direct recommendation to the Province of British Columbia to strengthen hospice and end-of-life care through stable investment. The report recommends that the provincial government:

"...Invest in end-of-life care, including providing core funding for hospice societies and increased funding for palliative care, and increasing access to bereavement, grief, and counselling programs.” (page 52)

This recommendation aligns closely with BCHPCA’s ongoing advocacy to recognize hospice societies as essential community based infrastructure within BC’s health and mental health systems.

Why this matters for hospice societies

Hospice societies deliver low-barrier, relationship centred supports at some of the most vulnerable moments in people’s lives. Yet, as the report underscores, many of these services remain structurally under recognized within funding and policy frameworks, despite their proven impact on families, caregivers, and the broader health system.

The Committee’s acknowledgement of grief, bereavement, and hospice care delivered by hospice societies, alongside a call for core funding, reinforces the importance of moving beyond short term, project based funding toward sustainable, predictable investment.

What comes next

BCHPCA will continue to:

• Track how the Budget 2026 recommendations translate into government decisions and investments in the coming year
• Engage with MLAs, ministries, and partners to highlight the role hospice societies play in health system sustainability, including a Day at the Leg later this fall.
• Advance sector wide work on grief, bereavement, caregiver wellness, and community-based palliative care as part of integrated system solutions

We are grateful to hospice societies, our specialty trained volunteers, and partners whose lived experience, data, and leadership continue to inform this work. Your voices are increasingly reflected in provincial conversations, and they matter!

Read BCHPCA’s June Budget Consultation post