P.E.I. government buys land for new Kings County hospital; cost and timeline unclear
Plans to replace the aging KCMH were first included in the province's 2021 capital budget
The province announced Thursday the location of a new hospital in eastern P.E.I. — but it's still unclear how long the project will take or what it will cost.
In a news release, the province said it had purchased a 34-hectare plot of land in Three Rivers, on the outskirts of Montague off of Route 4, the A.A. MacDonald Highway. The province paid $900,000 for the land.
The new facility will replace the aging Kings County Memorial, a 30-bed community hospital that has served the region since it was built in 1971. A new community health centre will also be built on the site.
"This is a major infrastructure project," said P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz. "It will take time. We're probably on a matter of years here to get [it] completed."
Plans to replace the aging KCMH were first included in the province's 2021 capital budget, which set aside $13.3 million over five years for the planning process. At the time, the province said construction on the new facility would start in 2025.
Thursday, officials couldn't say when construction on the new hospital would begin or when it might be completed. But the province did say the next phase will involve site planning and months of consultations with community members, staff and other stakeholders. The cost won't be determined until the design is finalized.
Three Rivers Mayor Debbie Johnston said the new hospital can't come soon enough.
"It really is great news," she said. "It's a great day for... not only Three Rivers but all of the 25,000 people in Eastern Kings because this hospital will serve a lot of people and it's very much needed."
The KCMH emergency department has faced frequent closures in recent years due to physician and nurse shortages.
"It's a challenge for families when people have to leave Kings County," said Ray Brow with the Kings County Memorial Hospital Foundation. "The more we have here the better, and it will make Kings County a better place to live."
Tara Roche with Community Hospitals East hopes a new building could also help with recruitment of health staff.
"Staff like to work in in a modernized new building with new equipment and more appropriate technology."
Public consultations are expected to begin in September.
With files from Laura Meader