Christian Dubé was pigel in the budgets of his colleagues in transport and education in order to complete the funding to launch the work at Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital. The new establishment will open in 2035-2036, he promises.
Mr. Dubé was all smiles out of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. “It’s a very good day for me today, and it is above all a good day for patients,” said the minister of Health.
At the heart of a media storm for a week, the Eastern Hospital of Montreal will finally obtain the $ 85 million necessary to dig its new parking lot, the first phase of its reconstruction.
Subsequently, the chips will continue the work, assures the minister, so that everything will be completed within ten years. However, he refuses to advance on the overall budget, in order to avoid guiding tenders.
“The project was accepted in its entirety,” says Christian Dubé. The new hospital will include 720 beds in individual rooms and a new operating room.
The launch of the works had been postponed this spring, before the state of public finances.
But last week’s storm forced Quebec to find the necessary funds, before the obvious disuse of the premises. In addition to flying the windows, the winds caused a generalized power outage in the health establishment. Emergency generators were lacking.
However, the Minister’s announcement does not impress his solidarity critic, Vincent Marissal, who asks to see a quantified plan.
“Unlike all the announcements of this type, Minister Dubé tells us that he wants to go ahead, without figures, without real schedule, without a global plan. After having fooled twice, the CAQ dares to ask us for an act of faith! ”Said Vincent Marissal.
All over Quebec
In addition to HMR, the Minister of Health obtained an additional $ 115 million to continue planning 26 other projects throughout Quebec.
The government’s press release specifies that this includes the Hôtel-Dieu d’Arthabaska, where a by-election must take place within six months, after the resignation of the ex-Caquist deputy Eric Lefebvre.
Money will come from schools, roads and other infrastructure work that falls into the water each year, for example due to the withdrawal of a supplier.
A good year, bad year, “5% to 10%” of the hundred works managed by Quebec are thus delayed, says the minister. “Suddenly, he made a hole of $ 200 million” on a total envelope of $ 19 billion, explains Christian Dubé.
The minister therefore agreed with Bernard Drainville and Geneviève Guilbault to recover these sums in order to direct them to the health network.
However, new schools and roads also had to be postponed this spring, due to the compressions.
Not just Montreal
But by funding around thirty projects throughout Quebec, Prime Minister François Legault will be able to continue to assert that he does not abandon the regions for the benefit of the metropolis.
Last week, the Caquist leader assured that the financing of HMR would force him to cut elsewhere on the territory.
At the same time, he accused the Liberals of defending this hospital in particular because the party is “overrepresented in Montreal”.
“The CAQ is a party in the regions,” said François Legault.
