â–º Listen Live
â–º Listen Live
HomeNewsCosts "likely" to rise for new hospital sites in Bracebridge and Huntsville

Costs “likely” to rise for new hospital sites in Bracebridge and Huntsville

Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) is moving to the next stage of the Ministry of Health’s capital planning process for the two new hospitals set to be built in Bracebridge and Huntsville.

For the next year-and-a-half, officials say more “refined” planning will be done for the two sites as they continue to survey what the communities’ future needs could be. 

Work in stage 1.3, which is the last part of the first of three phases of the project, will see officials work to better figure out the “magnitude” of how much the builds will cost and how they will be funded.

Moreen Miller, Chair of the MAHC Board of Directors, says by the time they start building the new hospitals, it’s likely construction costs will have increased. “In the past three years, a lot has changed,” she continues. “The preliminary estimates from the earlier planning stages will be refreshed to reflect the changed environment and the effects we have all seen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

- Advertisement -

When speaking to Huntsville council in Sept. 2022, Harrison and Dan Uffelmann, Vice Chair of MAHC, said building both hospitals is estimated to cost around $580 million. The Ministry of Health has pledged to cover $506 million while the local share for Muskoka, which will be raised by the municipalities and community, is around $74 million.

“Without a formal plan to raise the local share, our project will not move forward,” says Miller.

“We know today that our hospitals are too small and too old, and our communities deserve better for future generations,” says Harrison. “More detailed program and service planning will occur between now and Dec. 2023 to ensure our two new sites meet the future healthcare needs of patients and families in Muskoka and East Parry Sound, while also being affordable for the community.”

Officials say MAHC hopes to submit the functional program plan by the end of 2023, which would pave the way for the second phase of the project to start. According to MAHC’s website, the second phase will involve the plan for the two sites being made and finalized. 

“Community feedback has shaped our plan for two new hospital sites and the Ford government supports our plan, says Cheryl Harrison, President and CEO of MAHC. “Now we will work closely with our teams to describe future services in greater detail, the staffing required, and work through the physical space planning – moving from where we left off with generalized spaces to more in-depth diagrams as we reimagine Muskoka’s hospitals.”

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -
- Advertisement -

Continue Reading