Province pledges $50M for All Nations hospital project
Money was announced in new provincial budget
A planned new hospital in the Kenora region has received a major influx of cash from the province.
The province announced $50 million in funding for the proposed All Nations hospital, which would replace the Lake of the Woods District Hospital (LWDH), and is being developed by LWDH and the Kenora Chiefs Advisory.
"Back in the early 2000s, we were planning a new hospital at that time, recognizing that our hospital was becoming technically obsolete and really needed to be replaced," said Cheryl O'Flaherty, CEO of LWDH. "We are firmly in that opinion now, and the government has supported us."
"We've outgrown the footprint," she said. "We've got some fragility in our infrastructure. We'd like to expand our program and services ... to enhance delivery of surgical and diagnostic services, further enhance the outpatient services that we provide to the communities, as well as expanding and the growing Indigenous patient relations department."
Speaking at a virtual media event on Thursday, O'Flaherty said the planned new hospital would be larger, and the hope is to have other heath care providers also located on the property.
"Personally, it really falls on the cusp of reconciliation, on kind of what we can all do together when we work together in collaboration," said Wauzhushk Onigum Nation Chief Chris Skead, who's also secretary/treasurer of the Kenora Chiefs Advisory.
"We're very proud to celebrate this incredible accomplishment," he said. "We wouldn't have gotten here without the advocacy of our chiefs and the strong messaging that the healthcare landscape needs to be changed."
Alison Wesley-James, LWDH vice-president of operations and capital planning, said the next steps will involve working with Infrastructure Ontario "to jointly decide upon a project delivery model, and Infrastructure Ontario is going to support us in completing due diligence at the site and procuring the necessary consultants to move into detailed design."
The project delivery model will determine exactly how long the hospital will take to complete, she said, adding that it's expected to take six to eight years in total.
The next three or three-and-a-half years will see the project move through its second phase, which will involve detailed designs, and getting construction documents ready for tender, with construction taking another three or so years,
Construction is expected to take another three years or so.