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.
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“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.
“I think people can understand that it’s a long-term game,” said Spinney. “We can’t just turn off a building very quickly, but we can make incremental changes and work towards something bigger — which is what we’re doing.”
Spinney says Nova Scotia Health is trying its best to adapt during the construction process.
“There’s many different bits, I would say, that we’re doing to make the site as robust as possible, while still recognizing that if the treatment or service can be provided somewhere else, that we’re making every effort to be able to do that,” he said.
A water main break last month led to days at the hospital without heat and water, with much of the facility still unable to access clean water.
Spinney says Nova Scotia Health is working on creative solutions to address problems throughout the building, now ensuring “clean” safe water for showers on the fifth floor.
But there’s still much more that needs attention.
“They’re going to have to work through this construction time, but, as they keep identifying some of the issues that exist, it’s on the NSH to make those working conditions the best they can be,” said Mullen.
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