UCP 'dithering' on Alberta hospital projects, NDP says, after Smith issues infrastructure mandate letter

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a luncheon hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce in Edmonton on Thursday July 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Alberta's opposition leader is accusing the UCP government of not caring about health care or making sure patients have beds in the future, following the release of a mandate letter to the new infrastructure minister.

Danielle Smith's marching orders to Pete Guthrie were released on Wednesday – and while she instructed him to "accelerate construction timelines and reduce cost" on new hospitals and schools – the only project specifically mentioned is a new Calgary arena district.

"I'm very, very concerned about the UCP's priorities when it comes to moving forward on critically important infrastructure like hospitals," NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Thursday at a seniors centre in Red Deer.

"They promised the south Edmonton hospital in 2019 and there's still an empty field there. They promised the Red Deer hospital [expansion] in 2019 and there's no shovel in the ground."

In February's budget, the UCP committed $634 million to the Edmonton project on Ellerslie Road and 127 Street SW, but on Thursday a government spokesperson still had no timeline for when it would be open or what it would cost in total to build it.

"We remain committed to the southwest Edmonton hospital project. Currently the project is in the planning stage and project activities are ongoing," Jared Gustafson told CTV News Edmonton.

"Our government is committed to ensuring that the proper infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of Albertans for years to come."

In March, then-Infrastructure Minister Nathan Neudorf said the NDP did a "pathetic, superficial" job of planning the hospital and revealed the land they picked has an "active pipeline" running through it.

Internal Alberta Health Services documents obtained by CTV News Edmonton show the province is aware that the Edmonton region is on track to be about 1,500 hospital beds short of what will be required in 2026.

Even if the hospital was built by then, the deficit would still be about 1,000, the documents state.

"We know this has been an issue for a long time and this UCP government doesn't care," Notley said.

"We need a government that cares about health care, one that is actually willing to follow through on its promises."

Her government first announced the south Edmonton hospital in 2017 and promised completion by 2026. The NDP included the project in its campaign last election, pledging to spend at least $1.8 billion to get it built.

Notley said every day the government doesn't build the hospitals, the costs rise with inflation.

Since winning government in 2019, the UCP has held a number of press conferences at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre to speak about its expansion by 2031, and the government said Thursday the project is still on time and on budget.

"We are exploring opportunities to expedite the process," Gustafson wrote in a statement.

“Construction would already be well underway, if not nearly complete, had the NDP not removed the project from the priority capital projects list in 2017. Because the project was deemed unnecessary by the NDP, much of the pre-design and planning work needed to be redone."

The hospital has been plagued by staff shortages, surgical diversions and in January 2022 a patient died in the emergency room while waiting for a bed, prompting the mayor to demand "action immediately" to increase capacity at the facility.

Alberta's three-year capital budget includes $321 million for the Red Deer project, and the party committed to a $1.8 billion expansion in its election platform.

The NDP promised in its campaign to increase that $321 million dollars to $971 million because people in central Alberta "are tired of waiting."