**** HEALTH / WELLNESS Media Release
Construction Set to Begin on QEII’s Halifax Infirmary Site
Construction is about to begin on a new hospital that will help deliver the healthcare that all Nova Scotians deserve.
The Province announced today, May 12, it has reached an agreement with Plenary PCL Health to start advanced work on the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. A new, modern healthcare building will be built there to address the most urgent healthcare needs, and activity will begin within weeks.
“Today is an excellent example of how we are delivering on our plan to do more and go faster as we do whatever it takes to fix healthcare,” said Colton LeBlanc, Minister responsible for healthcare redevelopment projects. “We are removing obstacles to get the Infirmary site ready so that we can pour concrete as soon possible.”
The agreement for the new facility is part of More, Faster: The Action for Health Build. It covers initial work that needs to be done to prepare the site for the acute care tower, which will have 216 beds, 16 operating rooms, an intensive care unit and a new emergency department.
Crews will begin work to extend the current emergency department, providing flexibility for patient flow during construction. Excavation and the relocation of mechanical and electrical utilities will also be done to prepare the site for the building. Temporary parking options will be created so the Robie Street parkade can be demolished.
The Province is investing $254 million in this phase of the project.
Quotes:
“We are excited and focused on the operational and clinical requirements that support this significant build. We acknowledge there will be some disruption and are working hard with our partners to reduce the impact to patients, healthcare workers and the communities we serve. Other projects coincide with this work including the QEII Community Outpatient Centre in Bayers Lake. New facilities like this will help reduce overall traffic to the Halifax Infirmary site as we continue to build better healthcare for Nova Scotians.”
– Dr. Alex Mitchell, Vice-President of Clinical Infrastructure at Nova Scotia Health and Build Nova Scotia
“The Plenary PCL Health team is thrilled to reach this next step in our partnership with the Province and Nova Scotia Health. We look forward to beginning early work on the Halifax Infirmary site in the coming weeks and collaboratively advancing design development on the project.”
– Brian Budden, President and CEO, Plenary Americas
Quick Facts:
— other actions included in this agreement include site surveying, blasting preparation and construction office setup
— work on this phase of the project is expected to be completed in early 2024
Additional Resources:
Action for Health, the government’s plan to improve healthcare in Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/actionfo
More, Faster: The Action for Health Build: https://buildns.ca/healthcare/
Department of Public Works on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NS_PublicW
