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In Richmond, only about 14 couples have been diverted to other hospitals due to lack of space in the past year and a half, according to VCH, and only a handful of couples have complained publicly about being told to go to to other hospitals like Langley and Lion’s Gate when Richmond Hospital was too full.

Snyder said VCH should ensure local residents are never turned away because of too many self-paying, foreign patients and must avoid the appearance of “selling maternity ward” services. His colleague, Valorie Crooks, said the fact that mainland Chinese women are being denied maternity care in Hong Kong means they must be looking elsewhere.

“We don’t have proof that this is why more women are coming here, but it’s logical to think that they are looking for other venues … and having babies here is a method of effectively finding a way to buy citizenship. This offers them hope and opportunity,” said Crooks, referring to the instant Canadian citizenship gained by babies born in Canada. But the SFU pair said since heath human resources are so strained in Canada — with shortages of nurses, doctors and beds — health care leaders should think hard about deterring the growth of birth tourism.

“I don’t think we want to look like we condone this. We should perhaps be looking to find ways to reduce the motivation of people coming here,” Snyder said.

As to whether the provincial government’s new tax on real estate purchases by foreigners may lead to tax skirting in real estate purchases by putting properties in the names of babies who become instant Canadians, the province said its new law is written to prevent that. Jessica McLachlin, spokeswoman for the ministry of finance, said the act is “designed to capture transactions that are structured to avoid the tax in an audit.”

“Anti-avoidance rules will be enforced to ensure all foreign entities report and pay the additional tax as required,” she said, adding that when a minor is named on the property’s title, it will be flagged for audit. Purchasers are supposed to be adults in order to sign contracts.

Sun and Province Health Issues reporter

pfayerman@postmedia.com

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