The Port Hardy hospital's emergency department had to close once again due to a lack of staff.

Island Health notified the community that due to temporary limited care provider availability, the emergency department would be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, and that during the time of the emergency department closure, all other inpatient services would continue as normal at the hospital and the adjacent long-term care home.

The emergency department re-opened at 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.

When the emergency department is forced to close, patients have no other option but to travel to the Port McNeill Hospital, which is a roughly 30-minute drive down the highway.

Island Health acknowledged this is not an ideal situation for the community "and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience experienced by this temporary service interruption."

When asked to comment on Port Hardy's health-care issues, Mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt said that Island Health has been "very proactive in letting us know when there's an issue. We don't want any closures, but we're cognizant there's a shortage of nurses and we are unfortunately a part of that shortage."

Island Health is actively training nurses to work in the emergency department in Port Hardy, and other communities are starting to looking at doing in house training as well.

The Port Hardy hospital lost its 24/7, around-the-clock service a couple years ago due to staffing shortages which are happening not just all over B.C., but across Canada as well.

"It's unfortunate that rural B.C. is being affected," said Corbett-Labatt about the health-care issues going on across Canada. "We have to advocate and advocate hard."

She confirmed Port Hardy council and the Regional District of Mount Waddington are working together with Island Health towards getting the Port Hardy hospital's emergency department back to being open for 24/7, around-the-clock care.