New $1.4B cancer centre opens in Calgary

After more than seven years of construction, a new cancer centre in Calgary will open to patients and researchers.

The Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre is more than one million square feet in size and aims to change the way Calgarians receive cancer care.

Premier Danielle Smith said the building is one of her government's largest infrastructure projects and will help thousands of Albertans in the years to come.

"It's expected that more than half of Albertans will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime," Smith said during the grand opening ceremony.

"Today brings good news for those who are living with cancer and the loved ones who care for them.

"The Arthur Child is a world-class cancer facility that puts the patient at the centre of a multidisciplinary health system."

Patients played a role in the design of the centre, with patient advisers weighing in on nearly every aspect of the facility, from where to place clocks to the creation of quiet spaces including a massive open-air courtyard and two rooftop gardens.

Charlotte Kessler, one of those patient advisers, says those finishing touches help with treatment and recovery.

"The thing I hope for is that this building brings people hope and confidence that they will be receiving not just the best care they can get, but the latest in treatments and options (and) also all those little touches that help you feel at ease when you're in such a stressful, high-anxiety time in your life," Kessler said.

"All the extra light and the warmth and the welcoming and the hope that this building brings helps me have a positive attitude as I'm going through all those demons. That helps me with my outcome."

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said the opening of the facility is a "monumental" occasion for Calgarians and all Albertans.

"Soon, patients from across the province will be walking through the front doors, seeking the knowledge and expertise of the Arthur Child's dedicated health-care team."

But there are concerns the facility may not have the required staff to maintain its operations over the long-term.

MLA Dr. Luanne Metz, the NDP's chair of the future of health care, says the UCP government is underfunding cancer care in the province.

"There's no extra operating dollars for this (Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre). In fact, the budget for cancer has been cut despite expenses going up and inflation," Metz said.

"So, we're going to continue to see long wait times, people suffering burnout, of all of our health-care workers, but they'll be doing that in a nice facility.

"We need to call on our government to ... better assure that wait times that are medically needed are met, so that people are seen when they need to be seen and that they get the great care that they need."

Taking questions from the media following the opening ceremonies, Smith acknowledged a need for more oncologists, saying she hopes to work with universities to graduate more into the health-care system.

"We're very optimistic that we'll be able to attract more oncologists now that we're open. ... I noticed that with colleagues here from the U of C (University of Calgary), we probably have to talk to our universities as well about how we graduate more oncologists," Smith said.

"I believe, especially since we're seeing the aging population, the increase in not only cancer diagnosis but cancer survivability, that means that, I think, we need to even be graduating more of those specialists.

"So, that'll be a required conversation with our universities to be able to execute on that, too."

Sandy Edmonstone, vice-chair of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) board of directors, said the facility features 160 in-patient beds, more than 90 chemotherapy chairs and 12 radiation therapy vaults.

"This facility is one of the largest comprehensive cancer facilities in the world and it has seven times the footprint of the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, which gives us room to provide cancer care for Albertans in the years to come," he said.

Edmonstone said the centre will also facilitate state-of-the-art cancer research.

He said all the building's features were built with patients and their caregivers in mind.

Alberta Cancer Foundation CEO Wendy Beauchesne says the building has already brought new researchers to Calgary, and now that research will happen in the same building as clinical practice, resulting in patients receiving new treatments more quickly.

"Already, thanks to this building, and thanks to support from the community, Calgary has become home to some of the best collection of immunotherapy scientists in this country. Immunotherapy is one of the fastest-rising pillars of how cancer is treated," Beauchesne said.

"So, bringing together those curious researchers paired with the clinicians to find better ways to treat cancer, that's how progress happens."

The project first broke ground in 2017 under then-premier Rachel Notley, and cost roughly $1.4 billion.

Appointments will be switched to the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre by the end of the month.