Editor’s Note: From 1995 until 2020, the Marine Dental Clinic used to serve Cortes and some of the neighbouring islands. Now Cortes residents make what is often an all day trip into Campbell River. The article below points to an additional strain, on a dental service that already has 1,550 job openings, as the National dental plan opens the doors for free service to anyone over the age of 18.

By Michelle Gamage, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Remote and rural communities in B.C. are currently facing a shortage of dentists, according to WorkBC.
This is especially true in Indigenous communities, where most people have to leave the community to access dental services, according to the First Nations Health Authority.
Medium-sized communities are also feeling the squeeze. In Powell River, a community of nearly 14,000 people with four dental offices, locals told The Tyee they’ve had to head by ferry to neighbouring communities for care after a year of trying to be seen by a local dentist.
Continue reading Chewing on Solutions to BC’s Dental Shortage