Phase 2 of hospital revitalization not publicprivate deal

The B.C. government revealed Saturday afternoon that the second phase of the Royal Columbian Hospital revitalization project will be a design-build project owned and operated by Fraser Health, rather than the previously approved public-private partnership.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy made the announcement on a construction site at Royal Columbian in New Westminster, where contractors, Fraser Health Authority and hospital staff watched as a crane operator lifted a steel beam they had signed to celebrate the project’s progress.

Dix said that while the hospital’s three-phase, $1.35-billion revitalization was announced by the previous B.C. Liberals government, his government — as well as the Fraser Health executive and Treasury Board — determined it would be best to move away from a public-private partnership for the second phase.

“We felt design-build made more sense here, it makes more sense for the workers here, it keeps our hospital team together over the period of construction, which is one of the most important hospitals in British Columbia,” Dix said. “It gives us more control to make decisions around maintenance over time and we are convinced it was the right way to go.”

Dix said the change will not increase the project’s estimated budget.

The second phase includes a new acute-care tower and expanded emergency department, and its facilities will include 229 new beds, more MRI scanners, a neonatal intensive-care unit and a rooftop heliport.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2024.

On Thursday, the government will issue a request for qualifications for the design and build.

A third phase, expected to start when the second is completed, will expand on existing parts of the hospital including laboratories, medical imaging, pharmacy and food services, and will include the renovation of medical-surgical inpatient rooms.

The project’s first phase, which includes a 36,500-square-metre mental health and substance-use wellness centre, is expected to open in 2020. It replaces the aging 30-bed Sherbrook Centre and will serve hundreds more patients each year.