KENORA — Through many months of negotiations, the land for what will eventually be the for the All Nations Hospital, has been purchased.
Kenora Chiefs Advisory (KCA) acquired the land from GreenFirst Forest Products, who announced the cost of purchase on their website, for $5 million. The site, formerly known as the Kenora Forest Products mill, is located at 1060 Lakeview Drive (Highway 17) just before the Keewatin Channel Bridge.
It spans 118-acres on the shores of Lake of the Woods. This site is home to the future 81-bed All Nations Hospital as well as a new 160-bed Wigwas Elder and Senior Care facility. KCA and the Lake of the Woods District Hospital are in close partnership for this project and excited for the possibilities.
“To me, it's not only a partnership, it's reconciliation,” said Chief Chris Skead of Wauzhushk Onigum Nation and KCA board director. “You know what can be achieved when we work together. Putting everything aside for the greater good of people.”
“We set the path forward that ensures we leave no one behind, and that we truly walk side by side the way we should have been,” added Chief Waylon Scott of Wabseemoong First Nation and KCA board director.
The All Nations Hospital is in the process of being green lit by the province to move into the design phase of the project, said Hospital President and CEO Cheryl O’Flarherty. It will likely be at least three years before shovels hit the ground and seven to 10 years for completion.
The expectation for the new hospital’s longevity of service is 50 to 100 years. Everyone on the announcement conference call conquered that getting it right is crucial for the long-term benefit of all the communities in the Kenora and Treaty Three Area.
“We have an ancient hospital. Parts of it are almost 100 years old,” said Fred Richardson, chair of the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Board. “Not surprisingly, over the past 20 years the hospital board of directors had dreamed up and attempted to plan for a new hospital and healthcare campus.”
“With medicine advancing every year, sometimes every month, it allows us to adapt,” said Scott, adding that planning for advancements takes time, even though he wants to see it come together sooner than later.
The economic impact of this project was also noted.
“All of the other spinoffs that come with it will bring an economic boom not just to Kenora but also with partnerships with indigenous communities,” said Hospital President and CEO Cheryl O’Flarherty. “The simple legacy of building a new hospital to serve our communities for generations to come is quite remarkable.”
KCA and the Lake of the Woods District Hospital will be working closely with the City of Kenora to collaborate on both projects.
