After waiting two and a half years, three southern Alberta municipalities that have submitted an expansion and renovation proposal for Nanton’s 58-year-old health centre are asking Alberta’s health minister for an answer on whether their proposed project will go ahead. Read More
After waiting two and a half years, three southern Alberta municipalities that have submitted an expansion and renovation proposal for Nanton’s 58-year-old health centre are asking Alberta’s health minister for an answer on whether their proposed project will go ahead. The Town of Nanton and the municipal districts of Willow Creek and Ranchland have owned
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After waiting two and a half years, three southern Alberta municipalities that have submitted an expansion and renovation proposal for Nanton’s 58-year-old health centre are asking Alberta’s health minister for an answer on whether their proposed project will go ahead.
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The Town of Nanton and the municipal districts of Willow Creek and Ranchland have owned the facility since 2012 and lease it to Alberta Health Services (AHS). The centre has space for physicians, a nurse practitioner, lab services and physiotherapy, as well as other services.
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In September 2022, the management committee, comprised of representatives from the three municipalities, finished a decade-long effort with AHS to create a design proposal to renovate and expand the health centre, reads a March 28 letter to Alberta Health Minister Adriana Lagrange.
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The multimillion-dollar project, which would involve gutting the original clinic and adding a small expansion, would “meet the needs of the range of services currently offered,” says the letter, signed by committee chair Evan Berger, a former MLA.
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“The 58-year-old structure is in dire need of renovation and expansion,” said Berger.
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But after sending the business proposal to AHS in 2022, the committee has yet to receive “any substantive communication” from either AHS or Alberta Health around when the project would begin, he added.
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“Our service model works extremely well,” said Berger.
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“It is our hope that this project can proceed with your approval.”
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The committee has asked that Alberta Health confirm either that it plans to build the expansion and renovation project or that will sign a long-term lease agreement with the group, which would then take on the construction project.
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The committee, which plans on asking for construction bids this spring, has requested Alberta Health for an answer by the time it next meets, on April 24.
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In an emailed statement, Lagrange’s office said the letter has been received and a response is coming “in the near future.”
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“Both Minister LaGrange and Parliamentary Secretary Chelsea Petrovic are well aware of the need for investment in the facility and committed to exploring ways to support and improve access to care in Nanton,” said Lagrange’s office.
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Budget 2025 includes $20 million over three years to support planning for primary care centres across Alberta, and Alberta Health is “working to determine priorities and scope for future capital investment decisions,” her office said.
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Nanton’s health centre is not only a primary-care facility, but also houses public health and community health services, said Lagrange’s office.
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“Our Ministry team is working with Primary Care Alberta and others to develop a plan on how we advance planning for the facility and balance it with other needs across the province.”
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