Don’t call it the new “North Battleford Hospital.”
It is Saskatchewan Hospital, according to North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater, who waded into the debate this week about funding for a new hospital in Prince Albert.
He was reacting to comments from Prince Albert’s mayor ,Greg Dionne, who has called for provincial money towards re-development of that city’s existing Victoria Hospital.
In an interview with the Star-Phoenix Feb. 11, Dionne made clear he wanted to see funds allocated in this year’s provincial budget towards a new P.A. hospital.
“Oh, absolutely, it’s Prince Albert’s turn,” Dionne said.
Later, Dionne was quoted saying “we were told when the hospital was done in North Battleford the next one would be Prince Albert. And so we’re still on that list. We’re not concerned because they could probably do two. They did the (Children’s Hospital) and the North Battleford hospital together in the same time frame.”
That comment drew a reaction from Bater on Twitter on Feb. 12. Mayor Bater was quick to point out the new psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of North Battleford wasn’t a city hospital facility.
“There is no new ‘North Battleford Hospital.’ The Saskatchewan Hospital is a provincial psychiatric hospital located just outside of our city. It serves all of Saskatchewan,” Bater’s tweet stated.
