Expanded budget for Child Jesus Hospital construction is labeled "too little, too late" by Dubé

The cost of several major hospital construction projects in Quebec is on the rise, with the latest budget increase affecting the Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke, the Pierre-Le-Gardeur Hospital in Terrebonne, and the Children's Hospital of Quebec City, among others.

The Minister of Health is currently analyzing these increases in a more global manner, taking into account overall percentage increases since the pandemic. The total cost of the project for the Children's Hospital of Quebec City has been increased by an additional $418 million, bringing the total cost to $2.6 billion. This is the second budget increase for the project in three years, as it had received an additional $271 million in 2021.

The Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke is experiencing an additional cost of $88.2 million, while the Pierre-Le-Gardeur Hospital in Terrebonne is experiencing an additional cost of $153.2 million. The Verdun Hospital is also affected, with an additional cost of $120.3 million.

The reasons behind these cost increases are varied. They include the construction of a helipad on the roof, overheating of the construction sector, a 15% average increase in wages, and labor scarcity affecting the schedule.

The project, launched in 2017, originally planned to complete the final phases in 2025. However, it has been announced that the completion will now be in 2031, a six-year extension.

It's important to note that this is not the first time such issues have been reported. Several major hospital construction projects in Quebec have been previously reported as being over budget.

Elsewhere, a 34-year-old woman accused of child abandonment briefly appeared in court on Friday morning. In other news, no information on when the analysis of budget increases in Quebec's healthcare system was conducted by the health minister is found in the provided search results.

Finally, a reminder that the death of the "Granby girl" on April 30, 2019, had outraged Quebec and led to the creation of an inquiry commission. Meanwhile, former Quebec Premier Jean Charest has stated that Canadian economic policies will be thanked in 20 years due to American economic policies forcing Canada to transform for the better.

Stay tuned for more updates on these developing stories.

Expanded budget for Child Jesus Hospital construction is labeled "too little, too late" by Dubé