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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 28, 2008 - 5 New hospital could be delayed one year By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville's new hospital, originally slated to open in 2013, could now be opening one year later thanks to an apparent shortage of qualified construction firms needed to build the hospital. Halton Healthcare Services President and CEO John Oliver said he recently received word about the delay from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, who informed him that projects, not only in Oakville, but also across the province, are being delayed due to a lack of construction capacity. The announcement has angered Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh, who believes the people of Oakville are being placed in a dangerous position by the province. "Oakville's existing hospital is at full capacity now. Oakville continues to build houses based on the province's `Places to Grow' legislation that forces Oakville to grow and now the provincial government is holding up health care," said Chudleigh. "So for a year, two years and until the hospital finally gets built, getting access to health care in Oakville is going to be very difficult. The fact they did this without a press release and without any announcement, try- ing to get away with it, is just absolutely rotten." Chudleigh is also reluctant to believe there are not enough construction companies available to build the hospital. Chudleigh said numerous construction firms have told him there is significant construction capacity available. Stephen Dupuis, the CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) Association, also has difficulty with the government's argument. "I find it hard to believe that things are that tight in the industry on the non-residential construction side," he said. "It seems surprising to us." Pud By Steve Nease snease@haltonsearch.com For Chudleigh the answer to the question of the one-year delay is clear, the new Oakville hospital has been put on the backburner by the province. "I think they have a list of priorities as to which hospital they want to build first," he said. "They've got Vaughan Hospital, they've got one in Ottawa and there's probably a couple more in southern Ontario. Oakville is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. When they shut down the Oak Ridges Moraine, Oakville took a lot of that growth. Now to hold up the hospital and health care privileges is so totally unfair." Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn refutes the coverup theory noting there are few construction firms which can actually pull off the building of a modern hospital. "It's not an affordability issue and it's not an issue of the hospital not being prepared from a planning perspective. It really is an issue of the ability of the construction industry in Ontario to accommodate the project in a competitive way," said Flynn. "There's a limited number of companies that can build projects the size of a hospital and there was a fear that if we went out to tender on schedule that we would get no bids at all or we would get one bid and that bid would not be a competitive bid." Flynn said the provincial government was in a way the victim of its own success. With the construction industry currently booming in Ontario, Flynn said the construction firms, which could undertake this project, are involved in other long-term projects. Although Flynn feels the reason for the delay in building Oakville's new hospital is legitimate, he still plans to do something about it. "What I would like to do now is work with the hospital to see if there's another project on the infrastructure schedule that's ahead of the Oakville Hospital currently, but isn't in a stage that it can proceed, hasn't done all its planning," said Flynn. "We'd be prepared to insert the Oakville Hospital into that spot, if we can do that." Chudleigh is also taking action by starting a petition, addressed to the premier, which essentially calls on him to get rid of any possible delays to the Oakville Hospital project. These petitions are available at Chudleigh's office located at 174 Mill St. Milton, ON. An invitation from MPP Kevin Flynn, Oakville New Patients Welcome! Dear Neighbour, If you are looking for a new dental office in Oakville, I would like to welcome you to consider my practice. My office has developed a number of amenities to make you and your family feel as comfortable as possible during your time with us. Some of these amenities include satellite televisions in each of our treatment rooms so you can watch your favorite programs or you can listen to music on an IPOD with BOSE noise cancelling headphones. We also have the fabulous, new ICUITI Digital Video Personal Eyewear glasses that allow you to watch DVD's on a virtual large screen TV. We have developed a number of special amenities that have been specifically added for your children's comfort including a Playstation 3 with a 40-inch Sony Hi-Definition flat screen LCD TV in the children's section of the reception room. I have recently invested in a dental laser that can treat cavities in you or your children's teeth without the drilling sound or vibration. The Laser treatment can lead to a decrease in the amount of anesthetic that is required during the visit to treat the cavity and improve the overall dental experience for you and your child. I am very fortunate to have a caring and friendly team that are committed to your overall oral health and will make you feel welcome and respected. If you have any questions about our office, please feel free to call us at 905-827-1619. We look forward to meeting with you and creating a long-term relationship. Sincerely To join him and his staff for his Annual Open House and Barbeque Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 4:00 ­ 7:00 PM COMMUNITY OFFICE Dr. Stephen Phelan 2330 Lakeshore Road West Unit 2, Oakville (Southeast corner of Lakeshore Road and Nelson Street in Bronte) Dental Surgeon. Laser, Family & Cosmetic Dentistry 1500 Heritage Way, Oakville, ON L6M 3H4 call 905.827.1619 to arrange an appointment Creating sensational smiles in Oakville for 15 years. Please let us know if you're coming 905-827-5141