News release
For immediate release
ESQUIMALT, BC—The Township of Esquimalt welcomes a new medical clinic to the community. Terra Nova Medical Clinic recently opened its doors at 899 Esquimalt Road. This is a brand-new facility situated at Pacific House, a recently constructed mixed-use building completed in 2026.
The 2,000 square-foot facility has six fully-equipped examination rooms. The six nurse practitioners on staff are actively accepting patients.
A nurse practitioner can act as the primary care provider for families, similar to a family physician. Services include conducting medical and physical assessments, ordering and interpreting tests, diagnosing medical conditions, prescribing medications and referrals to medical specialists when needed.
"Terra Nova was created by physicians, for healthcare providers, with the mission of enhancing the quality and accessibility of primary care in the communities we serve. Our model addresses the real challenges faced by outpatient healthcare in British Columbia today and focuses on supporting clinicians so they can concentrate on delivering exceptional patient care,” said Dr. Julie Wilson, Medical Director and CEO. ”Since 2015, we have been committed to the belief that every British Columbian deserves access to primary care. We are thrilled to welcome Esquimalt to Terra Nova Medical Clinics and to expand to 25 clinics across British Columbia, all working toward this shared goal."
The clinic aims to provide primary care for approximately 6,000 patients in the community. Access to healthcare was identified in the township’s Community Health Needs Assessment. It’s important to note that there is an Urgent and Primary Care Clinic in Esquimalt, however the clinic’s function to provide access to same-day, urgent, non-emergency health care differs from that of a primary care provider like a nurse practitioner. Council worked with Lexi Development Group prior to the development of the building to include a zoning covenant on the property that required a clinic with medical care providers.
“Feedback from residents was clear: they are looking for increased access to health care,” said Mayor Barbara Desjardins. “Through thoughtful work with this building’s developer, Esquimalt has six new primary care practitioners to support a network of healthcare in the township. There was a need for increased capacity to support families in longitudinal care and this new space is providing exactly that.”
The clinic is owned by Terra Nova and not run by the township.
The clinic is accepting patients and their families from the Health Care Connect Registry. Anyone in need of primary care should register at healthlinkbc.ca.
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Township of Esquimalt media contact
Tara Zajac
Manager of Communications, Township of Esquimalt
tara.zajac@esquimalt.ca
About Terra Nova
Drs. Julie Wilson and Ali Qazalbash, both family physicians, opened the first Terra Nova clinic in 2015. Today the network runs 25 clinics across Metro Vancouver, the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Vancouver Island, and the Okanagan, with 150 family physicians, specialists, and nurse practitioners. A further 100 physicians, recruited from around the world, are under contract and start on the mainland and the Island within six to eight months. It is not corporate owned. It is entirely physician-owned and physician-funded, the largest network of its kind in BC, the first of its scale, and the first to connect Island primary care to an integrated specialist group. On the Island, five clinics are open and Nanaimo is next. More at www.terranovamedical.ca
