Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley and Infrastructure Critic Thomas Dang make a statement outside Red Deer Regional Hospital on Friday, April 9, 2021. (Facebook livestream)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

"broken promise"

NDP demand UCP fulfill Red Deer Regional Hospital expansion promise

Apr 9, 2021 | 10:29 PM

Alberta’s Opposition New Democrats are demanding Premier Jason Kenney and the United Conservative government fulfill their promise to redevelop Red Deer Regional Hospital.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley and Infrastructure Critic Thomas Dang made their call while standing outside the hospital Friday afternoon, a week after the provincial government approved its budget.

Notley reminded that Kenney announced in February 2020 work on the hospital’s redevelopment would start in 2021.

“Past governments have wasted time on half measures,” Kenney stated at the time.

Kenney also announced last year that $5 million would fund the planning and consultation for the project in 2020-21, with $100 million earmarked to get shovels in the ground for phase one. That $5 million was included in the capital budget last month.

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“Let’s be really clear about this: you cannot start construction on the expansion of a major hospital with $5 million. Promise made, promise broken by Jason Kenney,” Notley said Friday.

“I was also very puzzled to see new facilities in other communities leapfrogging over Red Deer Hospital. For instance, there’s almost four times as much money in this year’s budget for a community health centre in La Crête. Don’t get me wrong, I want the people of La Crête to have great healthcare, but that project was not on anybody’s priority list last year, while the need for an expanded Red Deer hospital has been undeniable for a long time.”

The project in La Crête is getting approximately $35 million.

Mayor Tara Veer told rdnewsNOW Friday that when The City of Red Deer saw the provincial budget and realized there was only $59 million over three years for hospital expansion, there was immediate concern.

“During a call convened by The Office of the Mayor with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Infrastructure and our local MLAs to discuss the funding in the 2021 Budget as it relates to the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, the Ministers verbally committed that the $100 million to the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre expansion is intact,” says Veer. “They further agreed to The City of Red Deer’s request to provide an update to our community. The City expects the ministers will provide ongoing updates to our community on the status of this imperative project.”

Veer adds The City of Red Deer remains non-partisan and that its ultimate objective is to ensure expansion takes place in a timely manner.

Alberta Infrastructure Press Secretary Hadyn Place says the Red Deer Regional Hospital project remains a priority.

“Planning work is already underway between Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and the community. This is the first step in a multi-year process to ensure any new facility is constructed to meet the needs of Red Deer and the surrounding communities,” Place said in a statement. “Construction planning is a vital component of any build and must occur before shovels are in the ground to prevent costly mistakes that could cause future delays.

“The government will take the time needed to form the best possible business plan for this important project because that is the best way to ensure the project will meet everyone’s needs.”