Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner says she believes that Cloverdale would be the ideal location for a new Surrey hospital.
In an address at the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association鈥檚 annual general meeting on Monday evening, Hepner said a hospital built near the Kwantlen Polytechnic University鈥檚 Tech campus at 180th Street and Highway 10 would serve a growing demand in the area and provide educational and 鈥渟ynergistic鈥� opportunities.
The provincial government announced that they would begin concept planning for a new hospital in Surrey in December 2017. No budget or location was mentioned in the initial announcement. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the concept planning stage was a 鈥渟ignificant review process鈥� that could take up to a year to complete.
- FOR MORE:
At that time City Councillor and Cloverdale resident Bruce Hayne made a case for Cloverdale to be the location of the new hospital, arguing that the need in the growing community, and the available land, made it a good contender.
Hepner says she thinks Cloverdale would be a "great location" for a new hospital in Surrey. She has been in discussions with KPU on possible partnership opportunities.
鈥� Sam Anderson (@sam_andrsn)
On Monday evening, Hepner agreed, and proposed that there was a further opportunity for a working relationship with the nearby KPU Tech campus.
Hepner said that she had a discussion with KPU鈥檚 Vice President of External Affairs Marlyn Graziano as recently as Friday (Feb. 23) 鈥渙n the synergy a new hospital could bring to KPU鈥檚 nursing program and to the opportunities that may exist for those in the trades to assist within that hospital.鈥�
鈥淪he has fully agreed and I will now be personally making the case with our council and, provided they agree, to our provincial health minister that Cloverdale should be a strong consideration for a site for a new hospital,鈥� she said.
Hepner told the Cloverdale Reporter that she planned to prepare a brief and to go in and speak with Health Minister Adrian Dix. 鈥淚 want to make sure than when they鈥檙e doing the analysis, they consider all the synergistic opportunities,鈥� she said.
鈥淭he only other place I could even see them considering is way north in Port Kells. And there is not enough people there yet. Not the same densification that we see elsewhere. [Port Kells is] an option, but I like the opportunity with the university here,鈥� she said.
On Wednesday, Marlyn Graziano told the Cloverdale Reporter she had 鈥渙ne quick conversation鈥� with Hepner but acknowledged 鈥渢hat鈥檚 how things get started.鈥�
Graziano said there is undeveloped land on the KPU Tech campus, and that there would be great 鈥渢eaching and learning opportunities鈥� for many staff and students at a nearby hospital, but 鈥渋n no way, shape or form is this a commitment. We鈥檙e talking about talking right now.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a long way to go with this,鈥� said Graziano. 鈥淟ots of people would need to be brought into the conversation. I think the mayor is hoping to get that conversation started.鈥�
鈥淐an KPU be a part of this? There鈥檚 no way we wouldn鈥檛 have that conversation,鈥� she said.
With files from Trevor Beggs
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
