Blasting at highly-anticipated QEII Halifax Infirmary redevelopment begins

Blasting at the QEII Halifax Infirmary construction site will now be a daily occurrence until October, as the next stage of building for the highly-anticipated  development place. 

Blasting at the QEII Halifax Infirmary construction site will be a daily occurrence until October, as the next stage of building for the highly-anticipated development begins.

The construction work couldn’t come soon enough.

It’s a step toward an acute care tower that will provide 215 patient beds and 16 operating rooms in its treatment space. But it’s still years away from completion.

Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU) members working at that hospital say working conditions are less than ideal.

“It’s primitive working conditions,” said Sandra Mullen, NSGEU president. “We’ve seen over the past number of months, water issues. Patients cannot use the water at the QEII … As much as we’ve highlighted what needs to happen, they’ve not invested in the infrastructure to keep it where it should be.”

From legionella bacteria in the pipes to reports of fungal spores and rat infestation, the building is in dire need of replacement.

“We all agree that those buildings are well past their best-before date and it’s really — and this is not on any particular government — but it’s not a good situation to have people in there. I think we would all agree on that,” said Liberal MLA Braedon Clark.

Nova Scotia Health’s CFO, Derek Spinney, says they’re making progress and “there is a plan to become better” through the redevelopment process.