Health minister Kevin Falcon is confirming Mission Memorial Hospital's ER may be downgraded and limited to giving more basic treatment but he denies the aim is to cut costs.

He said Fraser Health could designate Mission Memorial an urgent care centre, which would see the ER continue to treat non-life threatening patients but stabilize and transfer more serious cases.

"The really acute cases could be diverted to either Ridge Meadows Hospital or the Abbotsford Hospital, which are obviously well-suited to deal with those," Falcon said.

"Emergency services will continue to be provided," he said. "Most people will never notice the difference."

He said Ridge Meadows' ER has just been tripled through a $20-million expansion, which coupled with the new Abbotsford Regional Hospital represents $375 million worth of new health facilities close to Mission.

"Both of those hospitals are within 20 minutes of Mission Memorial," he said, adding Langley Memorial is now within 30 minutes via the new Golden Ears Bridge.

Falcon also said Lower Mainland residents should remember they enjoy a tremendous range of nearby health care options that is the envy of the rest of B.C. – particularly the north.

"Those people would be thrilled to have three emergency departments within 20 minutes," he said. "That's a level of care they would dream about in the north and Interior. The Lower Mainland is very, very well-served by health care."

He said UBC Hospital is an example of an urgent care centre that still handles thousands of ER visits but sends more severe cases to Vancouver General.

"Certain hospitals are more adept at dealing with the really serious cases," Falcon said.

Falcon would not say how much money the change in Mission would save.

"This is not a decision driven by saving money," he said, adding the aim is to make the best use of the region's resources.

NDP leader Carole James accused the province of covering up planned cuts to health care during the provincial election campaign.

"The premier must be up front about what other health care services are on the chopping block province-wide and which communities will pay the price," she said.

Mission residents have staged rallies calling for existing hospital service to be maintained.

Fraser Health faces a possible $160 million budget deficit unless it gets more money from the province or finds savings in its $2.4-billion budget.

Word of an array of possible health service cuts – including the Mission ER downgrade, reduced diabetic clinics and cuts to surgery and acute care beds – came last month when a list of measures under consideration was leaked to the NDP.

Administration is the first place the health regions have been asked to look for cuts, and Fraser Health officials say areas that impact patient care would be the last to be targeted.

"The front-line services are the most important," Falcon said.

He said he's not aware of any other ER downgrades under consideration, but he did not discuss specifics of other potential cuts in the Lower Mainland.

Falcon said health authorities are getting a 20 per cent increase in funding over three years and are being expected to live within that increase, despite rising cost pressures.

"We haven't got unlimited dollars right now," he said. "We cannot keep pouring endless dollars into the health care system without challenging the system to do a better job with the dollars we already give them."

The minister took aim at New Democrat critics, who he said "always get hysterical" when any change is discussed.

"The NDP will oppose every single decision that is made that will bring about innovation."