NDP releases documents on Sask. Hospital, issues known during design phase

Documents obtained by the Saskatchewan NDP show that the Saskatchewan Hospital’s roof concerns began at the design phase of the build.

NDP Leader Ryan Meili revealed the findings Tuesday at a media conference in Saskatoon. Meili said the documents were received through Freedom of Information requests through SaskBuilds and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

“There were concerns raised by the SHA in the lead-up to the building of the roof. The fact that the mod panels were the same used on the roof that were used in the walls, and had already been shown to fail, may have been behind that,” Meili said.

“A number of concerns were raised (and) they clearly weren’t addressed. This resulted in leaks.”

Meili said the leaks caused sections of the hospital in North Battleford to not open in time. Of the more than 20 leaks, some caused patients to be moved around the facility.

“The document trail shows the concern was about the ribbon-cutting. The concern was about getting this announced, and opened, and being a big deal instead of actually making sure that it was properly done, safe, and well done, from Day 1,” he said.

He said this shows that the “priorities are wrong” from the provincial side, and that officials need to ensure that “our facilities are built well, built (with) quality, and keeping patients safe in the process.”

In the documents the NDP obtained, a SaskBuilds official indicated problems with the roof were the same as the long-standing SHA concerns that were ignored.

The emailed document stated that “the roof was a serious bone of contention during design and construction, and unfortunately, the Authority’s concerns were well-founded.”

Meili said the Sask. Party government needs to have a full audit, making it clear what the build cost, along with getting back to traditional builds rather than P3 contracts.

“All of this has been shrouded behind a curtain, instead of being shared out in the open,” he said.

Additionally, Meili said he wants a change in the procurement process, ensuring that major infrastructure in the province is built by Saskatchewan companies, using local material and workers.

Meili also had a message for staff at the Sask. Hospital, saying without them, the public would not have known about many of the issues with the building.

“We care about their safety, and the safety of the patients when it comes to the building and its construction, and its maintenance,” Meili said. “If there are concerns that they’re noticing, if there are things they’re noticing, (don’t) be shy, speak out about them.

“The staff and patients should also be pointing and saying, ‘Listen, you caused this problem, get it fixed,’ not saying ‘OK, well we’ll deal with it.’ ”

Meili added that if it weren’t for staff speaking out about issues of the facility, the public wouldn’t have known about the issues. He mentioned issues surrounding contaminated water, as first reported by 650 CKOM in October, wouldn’t have been brought to the forefront without staff help.

“That takes courage,” Meili said, “and I really admire that people have been able to step forward and do that.”

Meili said he is planning to touring the Sask. Hospital later on in the week.