Construction on Calgary Cancer Centre concludes, will accept patients in 2024
With construction on the Calgary Cancer Centre now complete, the provincial government has handed over control of the facility to Alberta Health Services (AHS).
Infrastructure Minister Nathan Neudorf and Health Minister Jason Copping made the announcement on Friday at the $1.4-billion facility, which sits next to the Foothills Medical Centre.
It's now up to AHS to fill the centre's empty spaces with equipment and get the building ready to accept patients in 2024.
"Nearly half of Albertans will deal with a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and that's why the Calgary Cancer Centre is so needed and so important," Copping said.
The 13-level building will feature outpatient clinics, 160 inpatient beds, wet and dry research labs, a clinical trials unit, 15 radiation treatment vaults and 1,650 stalls of underground parking.
"The centre was designed to encompass the whole continuum of cancer care -- from prevention, screening and early detection to research and collaboration, treatment development and clinical trials, to patient care and to education," Copping said.
It'll take in patients across the province.
"We are going to be an internationally-recognized cancer spot," said Dr. Dan Morris with AHS. "We will have a central referral area to serve all of Alberta."
The centre -- which is 187,000 square metres large -- was built with intake in mind.
Morris says the idea is to accommodate patients in the far future.
"When we moved in to the renovated Tom Baker Cancer Centre in 1999, we outstripped its space in about three or four years," he said. "So this has been a vision long-standing."
Copping acknowledged that AHS will need to attract workers to staff the centre, but wouldn't say how many.
Copping said he believes recruitment will play a massive role and is confident the building itself -- and all of its state-of-the-art equipment -- will help bring in workers.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.