People living in the Vaudreuil-Dorion area are finally getting a hospital.
Health Minister Gaetan Barrette announced the new facility Monday, saying it will cost around $800 million.
There are no architectural plans or contractor for the future Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital Centre as of yet, but the Barrette promises it's in the works.
“It should be between 200 and 300 beds, maybe more, but the evaluation in the initial process will determine that,” said Barrette.
The government is in the process of buying a piece of land off the Trans-Canada.
As many as 140,000 people live in the area, and many must travel more than 20 minutes to the Lakeshore or Valleyfield Hospitals for care.
Some cross the Ontario border to receive medical treatment.
“$20 million a year go to Hawkesbury and its Quebec residents using the hospital,” said St. Lazare Mayor Robert Grimaudo.
The hospital should resemble Laval's Cite de la Sante or the Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital in Terrebonne.
Barrette won't say yet if it will be built by a public-private partnership, but insists it won't be over budget.
He said he hopes construction will begin in about five years, and the hospital will open a few years after that.
