The territorial government has signed an agreement to build an entirely new Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife, rather than redevelop the existing facility.
The territory has signed an agreement with Boreal Health Partnership, which won the public-private partnership tender for the project.
In a change to initially publicized plans, that agreement envisages the construction of a new building “in the vicinity” of the current hospital.
The estimated cost is $300 million. The new building will have a floor area of 280,000 square feet.
“The government will be looking at options for future use with respect to the current Stanton Territorial Hospital building,” Andrew Livingstone, representing the territorial government, told the Yellowknifer newspaper.
In the past, the territory had planned to redevelop and expand Stanton by renovating the building in stages, while keeping the hospital running. The government has not explained the change.
“This is a major step to ensuring the residents of the Northwest Territories will benefit from a state-of-the-art hospital built to current national standards,” said finance minister Michael Miltenberger in a statement.
“Construction on the new hospital, which will start this fall, will see the current facility replaced by a new purpose-designed facility that will address patient needs and provide high-quality health care delivery.”
