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For immediate release A no-news announcement from the McGuinty government Woodstock— After four years of waiting, it appears our new hospital is no closer to being completed. The McGuinty Government today announced the names of companies being asked to bid on building the new hospital instead of the much hoped for tender award announcement. This announcement brings the residents of Oxford to the same place they were in 2003 under the PC Government. “The people of Oxford deserve a new hospital. The doctors, the nurses and our whole community have been waiting and it is unfortunate that this Government has wasted time and your tax dollars to get to this point of announcing very little today,” said Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford. “The community has demonstrated their support and worked so hard fundraising that it is disappointing that there isn’t more to this announcement today.” “I’m happy the process of building a new hospital in Woodstock is finally moving ahead, however after 4 years of dithering, I have to wonder what has taken so long,” said Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford. “Today’s announcement should have been the opening of the new hospital; instead the government unveiled a new partisan billboard.” Today’s announcement of the companies which have qualified to bid on the construction of the hospital does not actually start the bidding process. A formal request for proposals must still be issued by the government. “This announcement has more to do with election politics than it does with health care,” said Hardeman. “The people of Oxford understand that a photo-op doesn’t provide quality health care.” In 2000, the Progressive Conservative government approved a new Hospital for Woodstock and provided $12 million for preliminary work and design. Much of the preliminary site work was completed by December 2003. Today’s announcement of the companies being asked to submit a Request for Proposal on the construction project could have happened as early as January 2004, however, the McGuinty Government decided to move to a public/private partnership for new Hospital construction, which slowed the project down. “The Hospital Board should be congratulated on completing all the steps necessary to get to this point,” said Hardeman. “They have worked hard to jump through all the hoops and delay tactics the McGuinty government has put in place in the building process since 2003. I think they deserve better than a new sign.”
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