The government of Saskatchewan has issued a request for proposals for the sale of the former Saskatchewan Hospital, including the land and buildings, situated in the RM of North Battleford.
The RFP call closes at 2 p.m. Aug. 21, with sealed proposals being received by the Ministry of Central Services office in Saskatoon.
The buildings for sale, according to the RFP, include the 255,532 square foot main building, the powerhouse, industrial therapy building, laundry building, 11 cottages, the Community Correctional Centre building, a greenhouse, curling rink, paint shop, dormitory, a Quonset, maintenance shop, equipment storage building, garage, maintenance storage building, two cottage garages and a cultural building. The buildings, some of which may contain asbestos, are being sold “as is.”
The Chapel, Cenotaph and cemeteries are not included in the sale. In addition, items that are deemed historically significant by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport are to be identified and removed by the Ministry of Central Services before any sale is finalized.
The old Saskatchewan Hospital was built between 1911 and 1913, the first mental health hospital built in the province. A new hospital was officially opened in March of this year, marking the end of service for the old facility.
Last summer, in an information session in North Battleford, Nancy Cherney, assistant deputy minister of the property management division of Central Services, said, “Government has determined that it has not got a government purpose for the old hospital. So in our world, that means it’s surplus to government’s needs. And in that case what we will do is go to the market with a request for proposals to determine if there was someone else who might have an interest in acquiring some or all of that property, some or all of the buildings, for removal or redevelopment or repurposing.”
If someone doesn’t come forward with a use for the former hospital, “ultimately we need to look at our options going forward, which would likely include demolition at some point if we don’t have anyone else who’s interested in developing or using it. That’s the only option left to us.”
Cherney acknowledged that any kind of rehabilitation of the existing hospital facility would be challenging, citing a heating and cooling system is “archaic” and “falling apart,” the presence of asbestos, a deteriorating façade, and a smokestack that is “crumbling from the inside out,” and which should be removed for safety reasons.
“There are lots of things there that would need complete redevelopment and refurbishment,” Cherney said.
