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Province to hire new builder for Grande Prairie hospital

Sep 10, 2018 | 1:40 PM

The province is looking for a new builder for the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital.
 
The Alberta government says it will soon issue a Request for Proposals after firing Graham Construction today.
 
“This was not a decision that was made easily. I have been clear that this project is a government priority and that’s why we are taking action to construct this hospital as quickly as possible. The actions taken today will provide greater certainty around the completion of the new hospital,” says Alberta Infrastructure Minister Sandra Jansen in a release.

She later added she can’t go into too many details as to why that plan was rejected.
 
“It is a legal process but suffice to say we had asked for a plan that gave us the confidence that the hospital was going to be completed on time and in a manner that we both agreed on and we feel that didn’t happen.”
 
Jansen says all work stopped today.
 
“Until a new construction manager is hired, there’s going to be a short-term period where the site is going to be closed. The construction activity will be temporarily suspended. We’re going to work hard to get a new construction manager in place. We’re going to do that as quickly as possible so that work can resume.”

She adds this step would not have been taken “without having exhausted every possibility to reach cost and timeline certainty with Graham.”

A new builder is expected to be hired by late October with construction resuming soon after.
 
Jansen says all of the work on the outside of the building and 75 percent of the interior is already complete.
 
She would not say if Graham asked for more money to finish the project.