Health and Community
Services
Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
November 27, 2009
Tender
to be Called to Begin Construction of
Regional Healthcare Facility in Labrador West
A new regional healthcare
facility for Labrador West is one step closer to a
reality as the Provincial Government will call the first
tender tomorrow (Saturday, November 28) to begin
construction of the new complex. The Honourable Jerome
Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community Services,
visited Labrador City today and met with community
leaders to give an update on the status of the project.
�The construction of a
new regional healthcare facility for Labrador West is a
major priority of our government, and I am pleased that
we are able to call the first tender to start
construction on the building itself,� said Minister
Kennedy. �We expect to award this tender in early
winter, which will give the contractor time to prepare
for an early spring construction start.�
Site preparation for the
new healthcare facility has been underway since
September 2007. Site clearing, grading and construction
of access roads were completed this fall. Water and
sewer services are being extended from the Town of
Labrador City under a cost-shared arrangement between
the province and the town. This work is nearing
completion and is expected to be finished in July 2010.
The tender now being issued will initiate construction
of the building with the installation of foundations and
structural steel.
�It is important that we
seize every opportunity to make significant progress on
this state-of-the-art health care facility,� said the
Honourable John Hickey, Minister of Labrador Affairs.
�With the site preparation work now complete, the people
of Labrador West can expect the start of extensive
developments towards completion of this facility.
Through the Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador, this
government continues a wave of unprecedented investments
in Labrador with this and other ongoing projects.�
The new two-story
hospital will be located on Route 500, on the western
edge of Labrador City, and will be adjacent to the new
College of the North Atlantic Campus that is also
currently under construction.
�I am extremely happy to
see the tender will be issued tomorrow for this major
phase of construction,�� said Jim Baker, MHA for
Labrador West. �A great deal of work was completed on
site preparation and bringing water and sewer service to
this forty-acre site during the past construction
season. I now look forward to seeing the building take
shape starting next spring. This announcement is proof
once again of the unwavering commitment of the Williams
Government to the infrastructure needs of Labrador
West.�
�It is welcomed news to
see this initiative moving to the next phase,� said Boyd
Rowe, CEO of Labrador-Grenfell Health. �This new
facility will bring quality improvements in health and
community services for the residents of Labrador West
and, from Labrador-Grenfell Health�s view, will no doubt
enhance the recruitment and retention of physicians and
health care professionals in this part of our region. We
look forward to working with the Department of Health
and Community Services and other stakeholders to bring
this project to fruition.�
The Department of
Transportation and Works expects to award this current
tender in January, 2010 with an anticipated construction
start this coming spring. The tender for the remainder
of the building is expected to be called during the fall
of 2010 and the building is expected to be finished and
occupied by late 2013 or early 2014.
This initiative is part
of the Provincial Government�s Budget 2009
infrastructure strategy which allocated $76 million this
fiscal year for investments in health care facilities
throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 30 -
Media contacts:
Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 685-2646
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca |
John Tompkins
Director of Communications
Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
709-729-1674, 728-7762
jtompkins@gov.nl.ca
|
Donna Ivey
Communications Manager
Government Members Office
709-729-0898, 697-1424
donnaivey@gov.nl.ca |
Alison Dower
Regional Director of Communications
Labrador-Grenfell Health
709-454-0128
alison.dower@lghealth.ca |
2009 11 27
1:30 p.m.
|