Fort St. James welcomed a very special guest to discuss the future of public healthcare in the region.
BC Premier John Horgan has announced that a new Stuart Lake Hospital replacement has been formally approved.
The planned facility will be approximately three times larger than the existing hospital, with access to 27 beds including 18 long-term care beds.
Construction will begin in summer 2021 and the hospital is scheduled to open in 2024 for patients.
The project is expected to cost 116 million dollars, which will be divided between the Province through Northern Health, and the Stuart-Nechako Regional Hospital District.
450 direct and 300 indirect jobs are expected to be created through the project.
The new hospital will share a site with the old facility, which will be demolished upon completion.
Talks of replacing the existing facility have been ongoing since 2008, with a concept plan approved back in 2018.
Horgan said that he hopes the hospital provides the region access to “modern, sophisticated services.”
He emphasized the importance of the project, explaining: “to have a healthy community, you must be able to provide health services.”