The release of the 2019 provincial budget reflects capital funding of $5.0 million to be divided between the Weyburn Hospital replacement project and the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital redevelopment project. The funding will prepare both proposals to enter the final stages of approval.

Weyburn & District Hospital Foundation past-Chair, Mike Hoffman, said the WDHF is finishing up the final planning phase to be submitted to the province by the end of May.

“So that's the next step,” he said. “Then everything goes through the hoops that it needs to, and by the end of November, December, when they're finishing up for next year's budget, everything should be approved.”

He said they’re positive and hopeful that the line item increasing capital spending for next year is referring to the Weyburn project.

“I think we're at the right spots in the planning process,” said Hoffman. “It sure sounds like everything is going the way we really hoped. It's been a while, a little bit of a long process for the people of Weyburn and surrounding area, as they've been patiently going through this, but we're very excited about where we are.”

He said details on the location of the new hospital have not yet been finalized.

“I think they have some locations in mind. I personally do not know where those are, they haven't told me that,” he noted. “I do believe that the location needs to be in that planning document that gets submitted by the end of May. So, while we won't know, necessarily, where that is, by the end of May they will have made that decision when they submit that document to the government for final approval.”

He said this next phase involves getting approval from the Ministry of Health Ministry.

Hoffman said they are hopeful.

“It should be a very positive thing. I certainly expect that we're within a year or so of construction,” he said.

Either way, he said, this announcement brings us to the next level, and it’s time to set some finish-line fundraising goals.

“We're sitting on a little bit over $22 million in cash and commitments from local governments and local donors,” he explained.

He said another $8 million will still need to be raised.

“So with it coming closer to when we're actually going to need that money, hopefully that makes things a little bit easier to continue on with our fundraising efforts,” he noted.

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