Still no concrete plan for new Corner Brook hospital

Newfoundland and Labrador's new minister of Health and Community Services, John Haggie, may have a new role with several responsibilities but says one of his jobs is clear: replace the old Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook with a new facility.

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I need to have some confidence in the process that I've inherited.- John Haggie

While his mandate outlines specific deadlines for replacement of the Waterford Hospital in St. John's, including a target that construction there must begin in 2017, no targets have yet been set for the long-planned Corner Brook hospital.

In an interview Monday, Haggie said both are significant priorities.

"The Waterford has a provincial role as far as mental health services," Haggie told CBC's Corner Brook Morning Show.

"With regard to the Western Regional Memorial Hospital, it's been an ongoing topic … and several commitments have been made over the years so it's a significant issue for this department of mine and for the current government."

The hospital was first announced by the former PC government in 2007.

Politicians and area residents have since been critical about the amount of time and money that have been spent trying to get the project off the drawing board.

With spending already at $40 million, there's not much to show for it at the site, and some have questioned whether Newfoundland and Labrador can even afford to follow through on the current plan. 

Final budget not yet determined

Haggie said there has been some site work done on the facility but to his knowledge the building process and what is needed in the hospital have yet to be developed and refined.

Recommendations would then be handed over to a design team to get a physical structure and on to engineers to build it.

Quite frankly, until you know what it is you want to buy, you have no way of knowing how much it's going to cost.- John Haggie

He also said that a budget for the project has yet to be determined.

"Quite frankly, until you know what it is you want to buy, you have no way of knowing how much it's going to cost."

Haggie added that they're still in the first stage of the process but getting a facility that works for the people of the region is a priority.

"The premier and I both want this to be a process that gives the people of the west coast, who would use that hospital, something that they actually want," said Haggie, who added, "I'm not sure having inherited a process from the previous administration, that I'm comfortable that is actually the case."

Haggie's plan in early 2016 is to meet with groups who have a vested interest in the new hospital and make sure the work that's been done actually fits the need.

He also said the he would look into whether public consultation would be necessary.

"I'm doing what I can to speed that process up … I want to make sure our shopping list, if you like, for that hospital is complete before it goes to people who will actually draw lines on the ground," said Haggie.

"I need to have some confidence in the process that I've inherited and, if not, then to remedy any defects that can be found in it before we go into the more expensive building phase."