Upgrades to Calgary’s Peter Lougheed Centre are moving forward and the provincial government says construction alone will generate hundreds of new jobs.
The cost of the expansion project at the northeast hospital is pegged at $137 million and is expected to create about 770 construction jobs, according to the UCP.
In a Friday news release, Minister of Infrastructure Prasad Panda said creating “good jobs” for Albertans is crucial to our province’s economic recovery, while Minister of Health Tyler Shandro said it will strengthen the publicly funded health system.
Construction on the hospital expansion will see the emergency department capacity increase by 15 beds, including two new trauma areas. In addition, the intake area used to assess and treat patients will increase from six spaces to 26, and the ambulance drop-off area will be located closer to the emergency department.
The province said the hospital’s mental health short-stay unit will be expanded to address mental health treatment capacity.
The project will also provide replacement laboratory space to allow for state-of-the-art diagnostic services, according to the UCP.
“Demand for laboratory services at the hospital is growing significantly,” a news release stated. “It is estimated that 2.3 million tests will be completed on-site by 2029-30, up more than one-third from current levels.”
Construction of the emergency department expansion and the mental health short-stay unit is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022.
“I’m proud this project will help the Peter Lougheed Centre provide top-quality emergency, mental health and laboratory services to people in Calgary and southern Alberta for years to come,” Shandro said.
The upgrades to the PLC are part of the $10 billion in infrastructure spending announced as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan.