rubilc Library Terrace Bay, Ont. VOL. 20 NO. 23 p JUNE 8, I977 ih ' 20¢ PER COPY HOSPITAL PROJECT MAY BE DELAYED! The Honourable Dennis Timbrell { Minister of Health Toronto, Ontario Dear Mr. Minister, As you will recall, you gave your personal undertaking for. funding for the construction of the McCausland Hospital in Terrace Bay several weeks ago. The McCausland Board of Directors met in Toronto with Mr. Visadaly, Project Manager; Mr. I. Wallner, Architectural Consultant, and-other personnel of the Institutional Plenning Branch of your Ministry. Presumably, the purpose of this meeting was to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. And yet, another meeting was Held shortly after in Terrace Bay - between the Board of Directors and Mr. Bain, Director of the Institutional Planning Branch, in an effort to have this project go to tender as early as possible. . Your announcement was most encouraging and assurance was given that tenders would be called almost immediately. This would mean that work could begin by mid-summer. I am now advised by the Administrator of the McCausland Hospital that the whole project is still up in the air because Mr. Visakaly insists that the total area be reduced from 32,000 square feet to 29,000 square feet. After three years of negotiations and haggling, this entire project is in jeopardy of being delayed another year. We in Northwestern Ontario only have 4 - 5 months of weather in which construction can broceed. At the present time, there are I200 construction workers in the area. The new Kimberly-Clark expansion is due to be completed in November of this year. The Board of Directors of the McCausland Hospital have been extremely patient and I can assure you that they are very distraught over the endless 'delays experienced in their attempt to get this project underway. ; I urge you and the Honourable William Davis, who will receive a copy of this letter, -to slice through the bureaucracy and red tape to effect an early commencement of construction. I know you will appreciate the urgency of this matter and will take immediate action. Yours 'sincerely, (signed) Jack Stokes, MPP Lake Nipigon Copy to: The Honourable William G. Davis Premier of Ontario