Quebec’s new premier is scheduled to hold a press conference the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal’s East End on Thursday afternoon.
It’s expected Christine Fréchette will announce funding for the hospital.
Fréchette will be joined by Minister of Health Sonia Bélanger, Minister of Housing Karine Boivin-Roy, and the minister responsible for the Montreal region, Chantal Rouleau, for the 1:30 p.m. media availability.
The hospital that borders Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has repeatedly made headlines for issues linked to its aging infrastructure.
A storm-driven power outage last April put the hospital’s dilapidated state in the spotlight. Several critical units were plunged in darkness and emergency surgeries were delayed. Ambulances were diverted towards other hospitals, staff were trapped in elevators, and some of the building’s windows were shattered.
Hospital staff later came forward with reports of rodents, bats and ants inside the aging building.
Earlier this month, Minister Bélanger told CityNews in a written statement that the necessary funds to begin the preparatory work for the second phase of expansion and modernization are available.
The entire hospital expansion project, with a reported budget of about $5 billion, is scheduled to be completed by 2035.
More coming.
