The City of Beaconsfield said it is tired of waiting on a plan to build a new facility for Batshaw Youth Services.
The youth and family centre was supposed to have been built years ago and is needed to provide English services to at-risk youth on the West Island.
The current structure in Dorval is ageing and badly in need of renovations.
A new campus in Beaconsfield was supposed to be the solution – but three years after its slated opening, the buildings remain empty shells.
“It's been a construction site now for several years,” said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle. “It's fenced in, and it certainly doesn't look great for the neighbourhood.”
Bourelle argues that the centre would provide a valuable service and it’s high time it opened.
“My understanding is with the reorganization that took place within the health ministry under the former government, the funds were simply no longer available to the local CIUSSS to complete the project,” he said.
He recently learned from one of its executives that the West Island health board has the funds to finish the job – the CIUSSS would not confirm that information with CTV.
Health Minister Danielle McCann refused to comment on the reasons for the delay.
“We cannot take responsibility for the actions of the previous governments,” she said, adding that she’s well aware of the problem.
McCann said Junior Health Minister Lionel Carmant is looking into it.
“He's working in collaboration with the CIUSSS, and he will also visit the installations and the CIUSSS in a very short term in the next few days,” she said.
Bourelle said he is encouraged by the minister's comments but remains apprehensive.
“Unfortunately we don't have a timeline at this point, and we're still anxiously waiting to find out exactly how it's going to happen,” he said.
Once the campus is finished, it's expected to house about 50 adolescents, many of whom will transfer from Batshaw's Dorval and Laurentians facilities.
