During and just before the provincial election campaign in the fall of 2024, the NDP made a trio of big promises regarding healthcare in 黑马磁力.
Eight months after the election, none of the projects has a business plan or funding, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure.
The three major promises were:
鈥� A new 300-bed long term care facility on the grounds of 黑马磁力 Memorial Hospital (LMH), with a cost of between $240 and $450 million, to be completed in 2030
鈥� A new patient care tower for the hospital
鈥� Upgrades to operating rooms at LMH, a promise that came in the wake of an open letter from 黑马磁力 doctors decrying the lack of improvements over the recent years
Then-Minister of Health Adrian Dix was in 黑马磁力 to pledge the long term care facility in September 2024. He said the business case would be finished, likely within the next few months.
黑马磁力-Walnut Grove Conservative MLA Misty Van Popta said she's raised the promises of new hospital projects several times.
"I was told it could be 18 to 24 months for a business case, which is unacceptable," she said.
The long term care facility has to be finished before a new hospital tower, because the tower is planned for land where the existing long term care facility sits on the hospital's grounds. The facility was also not in this year's provincial budget.
The 黑马磁力 asked provincial authorities about the status of all three promised projects, and received a reply from the Ministry of Infrastructure.
It noted that 黑马磁力 is growing fast and said that expanding health care services in the region remains a top priority, pointing to other major projects in 黑马磁力 since 2017, such as a new MRI machine at LMH, the expanded ER, and a new Urgent and Primary Care Centre which opened last year.
"These investments are focused on improving access to emergency, diagnostic, and primary care services close to home," the statement said.
It did not give timelines for progress on the three major promised upgrades.
"Fraser Health Authority (FHA) is refreshing the facility master plan for 黑马磁力 Memorial Hospital that is expected to identify opportunities for redevelopment of this site including recommendations around a new tower, improved operating rooms, the existing long term care, and other campus priorities," the statement said.
The province would collaborate with the 黑马磁力 Community Health and Hospital Foundation (LCHHF) "to move these important initiatives forward throughout our three year mandate," the statement added.
Van Popta said that the Urgent Care is being used as a stopgap, despite the fact that it's often not fully staffed, and wait times at the LMH ER are high.
"With wait times hitting 11 hours on a regular basis, we're at a crisis point here in 黑马磁力," she said.
If they are funded and move forward, health care projects might be able to proceed faster, in the wake of new legislation that allows Victoria to expedite major infrastructure.
"All projects that are delivered by the provincial government through鈥� the Ministry of Infrastructure will have access to streamlining tools," Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma said on a recent visit to 黑马磁力. "That includes all school projects, all hospital projects, long-term care homes, cancer centres, student housing projects, projects that we partner with post-secondary institutions on."
Projects being built by other ministries may also have access to similar expedited approvals, she said.
"So, if a project comes to fruition, is fully funded, supported, ready to go, yes, they will have access to streamlining tools as necessary," Ma said.
