After more than 30 years of negotiations in the towns and villages of the region, Vaudreuil-Soulanges will have its hospital which will have 404 beds. The official groundbreaking was done on June 14th , in the presence of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, the Minister responsible for the Montérégie region, Simon Jolin-Barrette, the MNA for Soulanges, Maryline Picard and of the interim director of CISSSMO, Lise Verreault.
Photo Mathis Denis
Minister Dubé was all smiles when the healthcare offer was announced. “This is not an announcement for an announcement today, says Christian Dubé. There are really backhoes and construction on the site. Here we go.”
Preliminary work
The Minister of Health goes on to explain that the construction taking place on the site of the future hospital is preparatory. The creation of temporary paths on the site will have to be done so that the trucks can venture through. Subsequently, the contractor will have to tear down the service station along the boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes.
“I would like to thank the public for being patient, said Minister Dubé. Because I know that when you are in politics you announce the same projects several times. The people of Vaudreuil-Soulanges were patient and that is why I wanted to do this today and start the work.”
The contractor chosen for the preliminary work is Ali excavation, a company from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The stakeholders present all underlined the contribution of a regional player in the construction of this hospital.
Labor shortage
Asked about the shortage of manpower in the healthcare system, the politicians wanted to reassure the population. The Minister of Health explains that the construction of a center like the one in Vaudreuil-Soulanges will attract employees who have deserted the medical world.
“The more we improve our system, the more we have the chance to bring back our staff who have left, he emphasizes. The best example is CHUM. People, when they have an incredible work environment, want to come back to the system.”
For her part, Marilyne Picard, MNA for Soulanges, says technological innovation will make the hospital more autonomous and make life easier for employees.
Noticeable absence
It should be noted that the Member for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nichols was not invited to the press conference. Yet, the latter represents the county in which the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital will be located and Mrs. Nichols has been involved in the project since 2009 as Member of Parliament, Mayor and Prefect.
“Contrary to what Minister Jolin-Barrette said, I was not invited to the groundbreaking ceremony to represent the citizens of the riding of Vaudreuil. Rest assured
that I would have represented you with pride!”
