The province is getting ready to start accepting requests for proposals for those interested in purchasing the former Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford site to redevelop it for future use. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Future plans for old site

Last call for old Saskatchewan Hospital

Apr 12, 2019 | 5:05 PM

The former Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford will soon be up for grabs for any interested buyers.

Nancy Cherney, an assistant deputy minister with the property management division of the Ministry of Central Services, said the province will start accepting requests for proposals in May or June for those wanting to purchase the site and redevelop it.

“Our initial thinking is we will issue a request for expressions of interest, to put it out to the market to see if there is any entity, group, individual or others that might be interested in acquiring that facility,” she said.

Cherney said the province was not permitted to accept any proposals prior to the formal acceptance date.

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“We’ve talked with the City of North Battleford. We’ve talked with the Battleford community and the R.M. to let them know this is our process and they can get the word out there,” she said.

The province will accept proposals for roughly six to eight weeks.

“We will review any proposals made and try to get a decision fairly quickly after that closing date, but certainly by fall,” Cherney said.

By September, the province will know whether or not the bid process was a success.

Demolition a possibility

“There is a chance we won’t receive a bid or an offer … that we can act upon,” Cherney said. “In that case, then we would look at the other alternative through the course of the winter and probably make a decision by about a year from now if we were going to have to move to demolition of the facility that stands there today.“

As part of the decommissioning process, staff from the health authority and government have started removing items from the over 100-year-old facility. Some pieces of equipment were sold in an auction last month.

“We’re getting to the point where we are ready to say the building now is decommissioned for our purposes, and it’s ready to make it available to someone else,” Cherney said.

She added the province is also continuing to work with the historical society in the Battlefords. There are plans to save a few historic sites on the property, including a chapel.

The former Saskatchewan Hospital closed earlier this year when the new replacement Saskatchewan Hospital construction was completed and patients were transferred to the brand new facility.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW