Work Will Prepare Site for Construction of Hospital
SAULT STE. MARIE - The McGuinty government is pleased to announce that work has begun at the site of the future Sault Area Hospital in preparation for construction. The work, facilitated by the City of Sault Ste. Marie, will include creating access roads to the site and installing underground water and sewage services.
“This marks another milestone in the development of the new Sault Area Hospital,” said Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal David Caplan. “The hospital is one of many projects in the McGuinty government's five-year $30-billion infrastructure renewal plan to modernize infrastructure and ensure value for taxpayer dollars as we build strong, prosperous communities.”
“We're on the side of Ontarians who want the best access to health care,” said Sault Ste. Marie MPP David Orazietti. “This project is the first step towards the construction of a new state-of- the-art facility for the people of Sault Ste. Marie.”
The new Sault Area Hospital will combine hospital services currently located on two separate sites together under one roof. The building will have 289 acute, rehabilitation, mental health and complex continuing care beds, support services and outpatient services. The project will also bring radiation therapy services to Sault Ste. Marie for the first time, making access to cancer treatment services available closer to home.
“Site work paves the way for the construction of our new hospital to begin,” said Ron Gagnon, Interim CEO, Sault Area Hospital. “Sault area residents are now one step closer to the improved services and better access to health care a new hospital will bring.”
“Upgrading and modernizing our hospitals is essential to our government's goal of providing a health care system that will help keep Ontarians healthy and provide excellent care if they are sick.” said Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman.
The new Sault Area Hospital is the latest example of how the McGuinty government is on the side of Ontario families when it comes to providing quality hospital care. Other initiatives include:
- Increasing operating grant funding to hospitals to $12.9 billion in 2006/07, $13.4 billion in 2007/08 and $14 billion in 2008/09
- Reducing wait times for five key health care services (hip and knee joint replacement, cataract surgeries, MRI exams, cancer surgeries and cardiac procedures) with a recent investment of $222.5 million
- Issuing Requests for Proposals for 11 new hospital projects in 2006/07 worth $2 billion.
The initiative is part of the McGuinty government's plan for innovation in public health care, building a system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.
Sault Area Hospital will manage the project with Infrastructure Ontario under the province's Alternative Financing and Procurement program. The redeveloped facility, like all public hospitals in Ontario, will be publicly owned, publicly accountable and publicly controlled.
Infrastructure Ontario is an arm's length Crown corporation dedicated to the renewal of the province's hospitals, courthouses, and other essential public assets. Using an Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) model that ensures appropriate public control and ownership, Infrastructure Ontario uses private financing for large-scale and complex projects to strategically rebuild vital infrastructure, on time and on budget.
Infrastructure Ontario also provides Ontario municipalities and universities with access to affordable loans to build and renew local public infrastructure.
All infrastructure projects will be guided by the principles in the government's Building a Better Tomorrow framework, ensuring public ownership of core public assets such as hospitals, schools and water and wastewater infrastructure.
Media Contacts:
Amy Tang
Minister's Office
Public Infrastructure Renewal
416-325-8735
Mary Lowe
Infrastructure Ontario
416-325-4856
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