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Future Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital to be built on original site

WATCH: The Coaliton Avenir Québec announced Friday that the new Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital will be built on the original site. As Global's Elysia-Bryan Baynes reports, the announcement comes after months of uncertainty surrounding the project – Feb 1, 2019

The future Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital will be built on the original land that was chosen by municipal officials and agreed to by the former Quebec Liberal government.

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Last December, Quebec Health Minister Danielle McCann said “all options are on the table” when it came to deciding if it would stay put or be moved to another location.

READ MORE: Quebec reconsiders Vaudreuil hospital move but pledges it will be built on time

This comes after the regional elected body of Greater Montreal (CMM) rejected the existing site because it is an agricultural zone and not an urban one.

“The [Coalition Avenir Quebec government] CAQ backtracking in this dossier shows a lack of knowledge of this file and all the work the municipalities did in recent years,” said André Fortin, the official Opposition critic for health, on Friday.
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“All this procrastination has only led to delays in an essential project.”

Throughout the debates about where to build the hospital, Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon had continued to insist the originally chosen site was the best one available.

WATCH BELOW: New Vaudreuil hospital will be double in size, price tag and delayed

He said the decision was made after a private firm looked at all possible options several years ago.

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READ MORE: Overcrowded hospitals leading drive for new hospital in Vaudreuil

“That’s the place because location, location, location,” he had said at the time.

He also cited safety, proximity to public transit and to residents as reasons for why that location was the best option.

WATCH BELOW: Quebec keeping options on the table for Vaudreuil hospital

“I don’t care what the CMM says. I don’t care. They don’t even know where we are,” Pilon said in December.

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“They don’t give a damn about it. They want to protect Montreal.”

The new hospital is supposed to serve a population of more than 155,000.

READ MORE: New Vaudreuil hospital will now be double in size, to open in 2026

“What a victory for the residents in our region who deserve to see the construction of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital as quickly as possible,” said Marie-Claude Nichols, the official Opposition critic for municipal affairs.

It’s scheduled to open by 2026.

WATCH BELOW: Vaudreuil-Soulanges to get new hospital

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