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Battlefords reacts negatively to hospital fundraising proposal

Jun 15, 2016 | 3:06 PM

When the CEO of the Prairie North Health Region David Fan pitched his $8 million fundraising proposal to the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce he was met with the question, ‘why do locals need to fundraise for a hospital which services the entire province?’

“It’s been a long standing government policy to do it this way. They’re not necessarily picking on this project,” Fan said. “It was the same thing with the Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. They had to raise money to furnish and equip it locally even though it services the whole province.”

The provincial government will cover 100 per cent of the $407 million estimated to construct the new Saskatchewan Hospital, the province’s only psychiatric hospital. However, the health region must come up with $8 million for furnishings and equipment itself.

Fan proposed North Battleford and the surrounding municipalities contribute half of the $8 million total through taxes. City Council decided not to entertain Fan’s request until the fall during 2016 budget deliberations.

Fan argued the hospital creates economic spin-off in the Battlefords as patients spend money in local businesses. He also said 53 per cent of Prairie North’s full time staff and 50 per cent of the total staff work in the Battlefords and surrounding areas.

“If our fundraising is very successful and we raise $8 million from the province, I’ll be the happiest person on Earth,” Fan said. “But we also have to be realistic at this point in time. Trying to raise money for mental health is a tough go. It isn’t like raising money for a children’s hospital, even though mental health affects one in five Canadians.”

Prairie North has currently raised just over $100,000.

 

ghiggins@jpbg.ca

@realgreghiggins