Pender Harbour Welcomes a New Family Physician
[PENDER HARBOUR, August 5, 2026] – The Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice and Pender Harbour Health Centre (PHHC) are announcing that a new family physician will be accepting patients in the Pender Harbour region.
“The PHHC is excited to welcome Dr. Leo Bay to join our experienced and dedicated team of physicians,” said Nick Gaskin, Executive Director of the Health Centre.
“We look forward to working with him as he builds his practice and supports the patients of Pender Harbour and surrounding communities. A thank you must also go to the Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice and their recruitment and retention team for supporting the process to bring Dr. Bay to the PHHC. “
Dr. Bay is one of five new primary care providers immigrating to the lower Sunshine Coast this year. He will start seeing patients at the beginning of September.
“Providing a continuity of care in our rural communities is a top priority for the Division,” said Division Board Co-Chairs Dr. Ruby Yee and Dr. Julie Baxter.
“Our goal is to reduce the attachment gap across the Coast, with everyone who wants a family physician or nurse practitioner having access to one, and to improve the overall health of our community.”
Dr. Bay and his family come from Utah and will be joining Dr. Catherine Bazilli and Dr. Derek Williams at PHHC, the latter of whom started in January.
“I am so excited to be able to practice on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. My family and I have felt so welcomed since arriving. We are looking forward to getting to know this community both in and out of the clinic,” said Dr. Bay.
Residents who wish to be on Dr. Bay’s panel should not contact the Pender Harbour Health Centre directly. They are encouraged to sign up for the Health Connect Registry. The provincial registry connects patients with available primary care providers in their community.
Residents can register online at healthlinkbc.ca/find-care/health-connect-registry or by calling HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.
If you are on the Health Connect Registry in this region and have not received a letter directly from the Health Centre to set up an introductory appointment, please be patient. The Pender Harbour Health Centre is contacting potential patients over the next several weeks.
About the Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice:
The Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice represents physicians who serve the communities along the lower Sunshine Coast from Earls Cove to Egmont, Pender Harbour, Madeira Park, Halfmoon Bay, Sechelt, Davis Bay, Wilson Creek, Roberts Creek, Gibsons, Langdale, and Port Mellon.
Together, Division members work to improve local primary care, increase local physicians’ influence on healthcare delivery and policy, and provide professional support for physicians. Membership is open to all doctors practicing or recently retired on the Sunshine Coast, including specialists and locums.
We acknowledge with deep gratitude that we live, work and play on the unceded homelands of the shíshálh (Sechelt) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nations.
About Pender Harbour Health Centre
The Pender Harbour Health Centre is a community-led non-profit society that has been providing medical services and health and wellness programs to Pender Harbour and surrounding communities since 1976. It is the only Community Health Centre (CHC) on the Sunshine Coast, and we pride ourselves on providing access to quality, caring, and responsive health services for the Pender Harbour community.
The Pender Harbour Health Centre and our multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals offer team-based care to local residents for both medical and social needs. Alongside our primary care services, we also offer programs that help address the various social determinants of health to help to create healthier communities.
About Dr. Leo Bay
Dr. Leo Bay obtained his medical degree from AT Still School of Osteopathic Medicine Arizona, graduating in 2015. Leo went on to complete a three-year postgraduate training program in Family Medicine through St. Louis University’s Western Illinois Family Medicine Residency and holds board certification through the American Board of Family Medicine and the designation of Fellow with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Additionally, he’s Board Certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Clinical Informatics.
After completing family medicine residency training in 2018, Dr. Bay worked throughout the United States in Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Utah, and North Dakota, providing full-spectrum primary care in outpatient clinics, hospitals, and obstetrics. Dr. Bay is registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.
Contact information:
Julia Cook
Strategic Communications Lead, Sunshine Coast Division of Family Practice
jcook@scdivision.ca
Please contact the Division directly for any additional information or interviews with providers, clinics, or our Board.