(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

time for action, critic says

Government silent on Red Deer hospital expansion: NDP

Feb 18, 2020 | 10:18 AM

A year after the former NDP government promised Red Deer hospital expansion, central Albertans continue to await word from the current UCP government on if and when that will happen.

NDP Health Critic David Shepherd says the UCP’s silence regarding such an important project is concerning.

“We have yet to hear anything from any of them indicating that they’re even considering it,” Shepherd said Friday. “We’re coming up on a budget. Generally if a government has good news to share they’re going to drop some hints about it. Instead what we have is (Agriculture and Forestry Minister) Devin Dreeshen talking about funding for private, for-profit clinics, creating more complication and bureaucracy in the system.”

Friday marked the one-year anniversary of the NDP’s pledge to move forward with hospital expansion planning if they were re-elected last spring.

“It was more than just a promise, we did put in $1 million for the planning work for the project,” Shepherd noted. “If we’d had the opportunity then that planning work would be in place, we’d have a clear report and clear knowledge of what the next steps would be, and our government would be preparing to move forward on that commitment.”

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Shepherd says inaction by the UCP since taking power has led to a lost year on an incredibly important project.

“We were quite disappointed to see the UCP budget in 2019 basically just completely delete that investment just to pay for their $4.3 billion corporate handout. To the best that we can see that planning work has basically been stopped,” Shepherd said.

Alberta Health responded to Shepherd’s comments through a brief email statement.

“We campaigned on a promise to move forward on the much-needed modernization and expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, and we intend to keep that commitment. Our government will have more to say on this in the days ahead,” said Steve Buick, press secretary for Health Minister Tyler Shandro.

Shepherd encourages central Albertans to continue pressing the government for action on hospital expansion.

“I would certainly encourage them to write minister Shandro. After all, he just put out his op-ed (Thursday) saying that he’s looking at closing emergency rooms and labour delivery rooms at rural hospitals, that would include places like Lacombe, Rimbey, Rocky Mountain House, Stettler, which are all in the Red Deer area and would only increase pressure on the hospital… Let this government know that this is a priority for the people in Red Deer.”

The UCP government will hand down its next provincial budget on Feb. 27.