Terra Nova Medical Clinic officially opened its doors at 899 Esquimalt Road in British Columbia, featuring six nurse practitioners ready to provide long-term primary care for approximately 6,000 to 7,000 patients, according to the Township of Esquimalt and local reports. The 2,000-square-foot facility sits on the lower level of Pacific House, a newly constructed mixed-use building.
Clinic Facility and Staffing Details
According to the Township of Esquimalt, the facility includes six fully equipped examination rooms, with one specifically designated for pediatrics. Five of the six nurse practitioners hired for the new location were recruited from the United States, including clinicians from Chicago, Massachusetts, and California. Each nurse practitioner begins with an initial roster of about 40 patients, aiming toward a capacity of 1,000 patients per clinician.
Nurse practitioners in British Columbia operate with a broad scope of practice that closely mirrors that of a physician. Their duties include conducting medical and physical assessments, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, diagnosing medical conditions, prescribing medications, and making referrals to medical specialists when necessary.
Patient Access and Registration
Patients are being drawn primarily from individuals registered on the provincial Health Care Connect Registry list. According to Mayor Barbara Desjardins, local Esquimalt residents receive priority for these care slots before openings expand to people on the registry living in the surrounding West Shore area. A local Community Health Needs Assessment previously identified that approximately 7,000 Esquimalt residents lacked a primary care provider.
Those seeking longitudinal primary care are advised to register through the provincial health portal at healthlinkbc.ca. The facility’s entrance is located off Head Street at Esquimalt Road, directly across the street from the local Urgent and Primary Care Clinic.
Development Background and Corporate Network
The establishment of the clinic stems from a zoning covenant established prior to construction. According to Babak Nikbakhtan, managing director of Lexi Development Group Inc., the developer worked with Esquimalt council to require a medical clinic space in the building, providing the premises to Terra Nova rent-free for 10 years.
Terra Nova Medical Clinic is an independent network founded in 2015 by married physicians Dr. Julie Wilson and Dr. Ali Qazalbash. According to the company’s announcements, the Esquimalt location represents the network’s 25th clinic across British Columbia, spanning Metro Vancouver, the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Vancouver Island, and the Okanagan. The organization operates as a physician-owned and physician-funded entity, integrating local nurse practitioners with a broader network of contracted physicians and specialists.