Despite not releasing any specific information about what work has been done inside the building, Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda says he’s happy with the work being done. For the second time in two months, Panda was back in Grande Prairie to tour the facility.
“The hospital is progressing really well; early into next year, you’ll see substantial completion of construction,” Panda said ahead of his latest visit. “I know the people of Grande Prairie have been patient over the last eight years but it’s coming to an end and everyone will be happy.”
Graham Construction first signed on to the project in 2011, at which point work was expected to be done in 2015. Construction halted in September 2018, and didn’t fully ramp up again until the next January after Clark Builders took over the contract.
On a tour earlier this year, Panda said more than 60 per cent of the work was finished with around 400 construction workers on-site each day. He says he plans to continue touring the hospital every so often until the project is finished, but hasn’t given an update on how much headway has been made since the June visit.
“I’m getting regular progress reports and reviewing them quite regularly and I’m satisfied with the progress the contractors and subcontractors have made so far.”
Panda adds the project’s budget remains at $763 million, which is where it sat when Graham Construction left the site.