Shriners to build new Montreal hospital

The Shriners Hospital board of governors has decided to build a new children's orthopedic hospital in Montreal.

In a vote Thursday, the board voted to build a new $100-million Montreal Shriners Hospital on five acres in the southwest corner of the future McGill Hospital project. The new Shriners hospital will be next door to the new Montreal Children's Hospital, which is slated to begin construction in 2009.

"This decision, as far as I'm concerned, is a huge step forward," Gary Morrison, a chairperson on the hospital board, told CBC News.

Shriners hospitals deliver free medical treatment to young patients from around the world with orthopedic diseases or injuries.

The current Shriners facility, located on Mount Royal, was opened in 1925. The 40-bed hospital is in dire need of modernization or replacement.

The location of the new facility, the only Shriners hospital in Canada, was challenged by efforts to move it to London, Ont.

The London bid was rejected in 2005, but the debate continued amid a campaign that included allegations the soil at the Montreal site was contaminated.

In 2007, the contest resurfaced amid concerns the soil had not been completely decontaminated, but in July 2007, the board again chose Montreal.

Thursday's vote acts as a confirmation the new construction project will proceed.

"What was left open was will we stay here in this building, or will we move to a newer facility closer to a general children's hospital, which was what we really wanted to do," said. "My view is that the decision was more a commitment to say, 'Yes, we're going to build.'"

Morrison said there are still many decisions to be made before construction starts, including how many beds will be required at the new facility.

The hospital is one of 22 Shriners facilities in North America.