Health minister OK’s site of future Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital
After a period of reflection, the Coalition Avenir Québec government has decided that the previously selected location of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital is fine after all.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Health Minister Danielle McCann said the government was always committed to delivering the hospital on time, but wanted to confer with “all stakeholders” to make sure measures would be taken to “minimize environmental impact and compensate for the loss of agricultural land.”
To compensate for the construction of the hospital on agricultural land, its footprint will be reflected in an equal amount of land being set aside for people who want to garden.
“I think that was the key to resolving the problem,” Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon said. “Details aren’t hammered out yet, but it will be small parcels of land where people can grow fresh produce.”
In December, McCann announced the government was having second thoughts about the proposed location — on 25 hectares of land near the intersection of Highways 40 and 30 — which had been approved by the previous Liberal government.
Her announcement caused an outcry in the region. The 23 mayors who make up the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges had reached a consensus with the Liberals. They said moving the location would throw a wrench into the timeline for the project and extend its delivery date by years.
They reiterated that the need for a regional hospital was urgent.
The region’s population continues to grow at a steady rate, which puts a strain on the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire and often sends off-islanders to Hawkesbury, Ont., for medical care.
But the government wanted to take a closer look at a short list of other possible locations that weren’t zoned agricultural. And the Montreal Metropolitan Community had also voiced disapproval because the off-island location didn’t align with the Land Use and Development Plan and would encourage urban sprawl.
Earlier this month, Pilon voiced his frustration with the delay.
Multiple studies had already been completed, preparatory work for the necessary water infrastructure was underway, and the town had begun consultations with the Transport Ministry about the construction of access roads.
In her statement, McCann said accessibility to the Vaudreuil-Dorion hospital site, which will serve a population of more than 158,000, played a role in the approval process.
“It’s an excellent day,” MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges prefect and Rivière-Beaudette Mayor Patrick Bousez said.
“We’ve lost three months, but we’re confident that the government is committed to accelerating the process.”
Pilon said the news was a relief. “This means all the work we have done over the last 10 years is valid. The government met with us and we showed them all the work that had already been done and why the other sites wouldn’t work. They understood.”
Marie-Claude Nichols, the Liberal MNA for Vaudreuil, and Liberal health critic André Fortin called the decision a victory for citizens.
The budget for the build is $1.5 billion. The hospital will be LEED-certified and house 404 beds. Work is slated to begin in 2022 and end in 2026.