(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

significant update

Hospital expansion projected for 2030 completion; province reveals site details

Nov 3, 2022 | 4:28 PM

Alberta’s Ministry of Infrastructure revealed Thursday that hospital expansion will occur on and nearby the site where the hospital is currently situated.

It also said the project has always been scheduled for completion by 2030/31, which, “we are on schedule to meet.”

The comments are part of a new statement from ministry press secretary Benji Smith, who says, “Building a modern acute care hospital is a large and complex undertaking that normally takes approximately ten years to complete.”

Smith goes on to say that next steps include completion, review and approval of a Functional Program Report, and to procure a designer in early 2023.

This comes following our Oct. 14 story in which the Infrastructure Ministry told us functional programming AKA consultations — which don’t include design — would be done by the end of 2022.

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Smith continues: “Current construction plans are to add additional floors to the hospital that will house additional beds. Also, a new building will be constructed to accommodate Ambulatory Care Services on the hospital site near the hospital building on what is currently a parking lot.”

Smith clarifies the parking lot site is just south of the current parkade — between 39 Street and 38 Street and between 51 Avenue and 52 Avenue.

A red box shows the area where one part of expansion will occur, just south of the current Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. The entire area within the red box may not be subject to expansion, but is the area being referenced by Alberta Infrastructure. (Google Maps)

He also clarifies that the $1.8 billion earmarked for hospital expansion is intended entirely for expansion at the current hospital site.

Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston, who called any further wait to get shovels in the ground “bewildering” last month, says when he got this update during his meeting with Neudorf this week, there was a sense of relief.

“I talked to the minister about the heightened sense of public expectation around this project, and that meant telling him our community has been waiting for some details on the scope of the project, when it’ll start, and what it’ll look like. I asked him if he would agree to do that, and I am thankful that he has. Our community deserves it,” says Johnston.

“Now, at least we know we’re adding floors, and my understanding is that’ll be to the cancer building. Where I’m not as excited is seeing it’s a 10-year project. However, I did hear from the minister that this won’t be a ‘cut the ribbon in 10 years’ scenario. The minister said it will be as they build wings and floors that they’ll be occupied and create capacity. It’s 10 years for the full build, but my understanding is that it will be operational before then, and I’m hoping we can get increased capacity in as little as three to five.”

Earlier this week, Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan shared a letter he wrote to Infrastructure Minister Nathan Neudorf this week, in which he notes the hospital project is, “long overdue.”

“There needs to be more accountability and transparency to central Alberta families and individuals who rely on the hospital,” Stephan writes, then making note of three steps which need to be taken, in his estimation.

First, he wrote, the public should be provided a written and specific set of milestones and deadlines with relation to expansion.

Secondly, Stephan called for regular community reports at town halls and the like so that the public can see the progress being made and ask questions.

He asked for lastly that construction begin immediately on areas that are already available to be worked on.