Yesterday, the province awarded the contract to build the new ER to the Marco Group, with a price tag of $40.5 million. This is significantly higher than the $10 million allocated in the 2022 budget. Infrastructure Minister Elvis Loveless says the cost increase is no different to other projects, such as roads, where costs have increased this year due to what he calls secular pressures around material and labor costs. But, he says they are not going to put the brakes on the project, because the infrastructure is much needed. Meanwhile, the province’s opposition parties are raising concerns about proposed upgrades to Health Science’s ER. Both PC Leader David Brazil and NDP Leader Jim Dinn agree that improving health care infrastructure is a good thing, but question the merits of this $40 million expansion. Brazil is questioning how the cost of the project increased by about $30 million when nothing has changed since last spring’s budget. He says the project does nothing to address any of the province’s immediate health care concerns and points to “another liberal corporation” benefiting with an extra $30 million over what was budgeted. Brazil calls the announcement a “shame” and “insult to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador” that will only delay access to emergency rooms. NDP Leader Jim Dinn says it’s like the province wrote a blank check to get the project done, which he finds disappointing. He says whenever he raises issues about issues like guaranteed basic income, housing and the minimum wage, the province uses its financial constraints as reasons not to. However, Dinn argues, when it comes to awarding a contract, the mindset is not to worry about the cost.
