New BC Cancer Centre in Kamloops A Dream of Local Oncologist
November 14, 2025
Found in BC Cancer - Kamloops, General
If you were treated for cancer in the Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap region between the late 1970s and early 2000s, there’s a good chance you were cared for by the late Dr. Keith Donaldson.
A medical oncologist and the head of the Kamloops cancer clinic, Dr. Donaldson tirelessly advocated for a full-service cancer centre in Kamloops to increase local access to life-saving radiation therapy — treatment that requires highly specialized facilities only available at BC Cancer centres.
Now, with construction underway on a new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops, that vision is nearing reality.
Although Dr. Donaldson passed away in 2022, after facing prostate cancer himself, he never wavered in his conviction that cancer care should be accessible, meeting patients where they live, surrounded by the support of their family.
For many years, this steadfast belief led him to make monthly road trips to Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton, which at the time lacked their own oncologists, to save his patients the trip.
But even with this busy schedule, he always put family first, according to his wife, Gay, and their daughters, Victoria, Sally and Jill. “He came back from one of his Okanagan trips with a really cool camper van — it was a total surprise to all of us.”
All the better to explore his beloved B.C. Having emigrated from Scotland in 1969, he and Gay and their girls fully embraced the Canadian lifestyle — with season tickets to the Kamloops Blazers, skiing at Sun Peaks and swimming and boating in Shuswap Lake.
Gay and Keith embraced all things Canadian after emigrating from Scotland.
Jill says growing up, her dad struck the perfect balance between being present at home and remaining deeply committed to his patients.
“I remember picking him up after work once, and a family was waiting outside his office to speak with him. Dad said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m late for dinner but my number is listed. Can you give us an hour for a family dinner and give me a call later this evening?’
The son of a former patient similarly credits Dr. Donaldson’s professional excellence and compassionate care for comforting him when his father was diagnosed and giving them 19 more years of memories together, saying, “His name and work will always be remembered by those he saved and all of their loved ones.”
With cancer cases in the Interior expected to increase by a third over the next 20 years, a new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops will deliver the close-to-home care Dr. Donaldson dedicated his career to providing patients.
Scheduled to open in 2028, a new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops will:
- Bring radiation therapy to Kamloops for the first time — providing approximately 16,500 treatments for up to 1,200 patients (and 7,500 consults and follow-up appointments) in the first year — reducing the need for patients to travel to Kelowna or the Lower Mainland for treatment.
- Offer a computerized tomography scan (CT) simulator — a diagnostic CT scanner combined with specialized planning software, and a laser marking system, to create precise radiation treatment plans that accurately define the tumour’s location and shape while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
- Include diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and an outpatient oncology ambulatory care unit.
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