Officials pick up shovels for symbolic sod turning on multi-billion dollar QEII redevelopment project

Although actual construction work is still months away, the Nova Scotia government officially marked the start of one of the province's largest and most expensive capital projects on Wednesday — the re-development of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.

Standing in front of two large excavators, Health Minister Michelle Thompson told invited guests huddled in a wind-blown tent, "The QEII Halifax Infirmary project is a once-in-a-generation health-care infrastructure initiative."

"As a former nurse, I'm excited about how this expansion project will improve health care and ultimately change and save lives," said Thompson. "And I can tell you as a former emergency room nurse in Antigonish, the services that are offered here, when we need tertiary care for our communities, is essential."

The project, expected to take at least six years to complete, is already almost a year behind schedule. Last May, when the Nova Scotia government announced it had reached an agreement with Plenary PCL Health, the company hired to oversee the project, the governing PCs promised work would "begin within weeks."

Since then, instead of construction, the project has been mired in design work.

Nova Scotia Health's vice-president of clinical infrastructure, Dr. Alex Mitchell, told reporters that work has not been easy.

Vague estimate for project

"The design exercise is to make sure what needed to be in that building, that everything is where it needs to be," said Mitchell. "As you can see, the various renderings over the years have changed substantively and it's all on a mission to try to build the best building, as quickly as we can, as efficiently as we can and with the best value we can." 

Asked about the overall cost of the project, Mitchell offered only a vague estimate.

"It's multiple billions of dollars," he said. "We will get much more certainty on a number in the fall of this year. 

Excavation could take until the end of the year

PCL Construction vice-president Paul Knowles said excavating the site would likely take until the end of the year.

"The full site will basically be cleared where the new building is going and we'll be right in the middle of the excavation, and we'll be getting close to bringing tower cranes in [at] the beginning of the next year," said Knowles. 

Parking has been a key concern for those who use their vehicles to get to and from the Halifax Infirmary. Despite the construction and opening of a new 500 space parkade on Summer Street in January 2023, the situation will get worse later this year when an old parkade on Robie Street is demolished to make way for new buildings.

As an interim measure the province is trying to secure parking spaces nearby, including the nearby Garrison grounds.

Although Mitchell told reporters the province had "obtained permission to use the Garrison Grounds parking lot," Nova Scotia Health said that deal had not yet been sealed.

Liberal MLA Keith Irving was unimpressed with the ceremony

"It's actually kind of fitting that this announcement is in the fog, because this project has been lost in the fog for two and a half years," said Irving. "This government has delivered nothing in two and a half years." 

"This announcement has very little in it."