P.A. looking for hospital funding
Mayor says province’s third largest city to be ‘front and centre’ during budgeting process
SASKATOON A consultant’s report on the redevelopment of Prince Albert’s cramped and overcrowded Victoria Hospital is due this spring.
A consortium of architectural firms is weighing the choices between totally new construction and an expansion and renovation of the existing building (called the greenfield and brownfield options). It’s also looking at a way to finance the project, which is expected to cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Planning for Victoria Hospital’s redevelopment has been underway since 2010. In 2014, the province earmarked $2 million for the project. In 2016, Mayor Greg Dionne made a new hospital the top issue in his campaign for re-election.
Last week during the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention, the Saskatoon Starphoenix sat down with the mayor to talk about his hopes and expectations as provincial budget day draws near. The interview has been edited for length.
Q Is it a necessary step to look at whether to build brand new or go with expansion and renovation?
A Well, I think it’s a necessary step because when you’re looking at a millions-of-dollars project you’ve got to make sure that you check all the boxes. For example, the Children’s Hospital (in Saskatoon), to me that was a tower that they built on to the old hospital (Royal University Hospital). And so I don’t have an issue if that’s their plan.
One thing I don’t want to see is what happened to the Holy Family Hospital, where it had no plan and it sat there rotting and finally they had to demolish it. So if they’re going to build a new tower and give us the services and the space and everything we require, I’m quite sure the experts will get that part right. Then they can have the opportunity to reuse part of the old hospital.
I think they’ll soon have the decision because I do believe, in the budget coming in March, that they’ll have funding announcements about the hospital. Because even if construction isn’t going to start for a year, they’ve got to start putting funding away for it. They did make their last payments in the last budget to both the (Children’s Hospital) and (Saskatchewan Hospital) in North Battleford. So that does free up quite a bit of funding.
Q So you’re not necessarily expecting funding for the whole project in this provincial budget, but you want to see some money?
A Correct. That just shows a strong commitment. They have told us that they’re going to build it.
Q Is it Prince Albert’s turn?
A Oh, absolutely it’s Prince Albert’s turn. We are the third largest city ... we have a population of just under 40,000 and we now market to over 195,000 people. We are the service centre for northern Saskatchewan.
We don’t have an MRI. There’s lots of technical equipment that we could use that help diagnose and say where the patient has to go.
I would like to see the cancer clinic be more aggressive because lots of times you have to go for 30 days in a row or something (for treatment). You know that’s a stretch when you’ve got someone in Prince Albert and you have to get them in Saskatoon all that time ... Look at the snow storm we had the other day. Are you going to miss your treatment? I just think there’s a better way to do it.
And the key is I do believe people feel better at home. You get visitors, you get company, you just feel better ... you’re healthier at home.
Q Will an expanded hospital in P.A. be stuck competing for specialists and equipment with the Children’s Hospital (in Saskatoon)?
A No. We’re going to improve our neonatal unit to take better care of the patients we have, but in some cases they have special needs and those will be the ones that will go to the (Children’s Hospital). To me, they’re going to complement each other. I see the (Children’s Hospital) like an octopus. They’re the head and then all these arms are going out to all the other communities to help us.
Q The minister for rural and remote health, Greg Ottenbreit, has also mentioned Weyburn and Yorkton ...
A You know, we have assurances from the government; we were told when the hospital was done in North Battleford the next one would be Prince Albert. And so we’re still on that list. We’re not concerned because they could probably do two. They did the (Children’s Hospital) and the North Battleford hospital together in the same time frame.
I actually campaigned on a new hospital in the last (municipal) election and the first thing that comes up on my (re-election) sign is a new hospital. And I will be at the (provincial) budget and I will be at all the reviews, just to remind the government that we’re front and centre.
I want to see the new hospital built.
The other thing that has helped us, too, is now Scott Moe being the premier from Shellbrook. He knows our demands. He’s been to our hospital because you go to the Shellbrook Hospital for your first emergency care and then lots of times you get transferred to us.
I think this budget’s going to kick-start the whole project.
Q How much are you expecting it to cost?
A The figures have been everywhere. A new hospital, I’ve been told, is anywhere from $400-500 million. A refit is $300 million.
Q You’ve been adamant that the province should pay for the whole shot; this should not be a shared deal with the city.
A Absolutely.
Q Part of the mandate for this consultant is to look at a capital option.
A Well, for the government, not for us (laughs). We should be going to Ottawa and asking Ottawa to kick in more of their share because we do service the north. That’s always been the issue, whose hospital it is. It’s not ours, it’s a regional hospital.