Today, the Honourable Barry Petten, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, announced the new government’s priorities for key infrastructure projects that will create jobs for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, strengthen essential services, and ensure affordability and sustainability for the province. These decisions reflect a commitment to smarter spending and better planning, while maximizing benefits for residents during construction and beyond.

Planning will begin to redevelop St. Clare’s Hospital to meet the needs of the population it serves, with a focus on affordability and extending the life of existing infrastructure. The proposed Downtown Health Centre will be refocused to include services not available at St. Clare’s, ensuring better access to care. In addition, the Janeway Hospital Redevelopment project will be re-scoped in collaboration with NL Health Services to best meet client needs.

The Provincial Government is also proceeding with plans for a new urgent care centre in Conception Bay South. The urgent care centre will provide same-day access for patients with non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains, minor fractures, and infections. This commitment aligns with our commitment to better healthcare for all of us.

An urgent care centre in Conception Bay South will also reduce the need for residents to travel to the St. John’s area for non-life threatening medical attention.

Minister Petten also announced that the Provincial Government is introducing changes to procurement to ensure that the people of the province will be the principal beneficiaries of future infrastructure investments. These measures will include prioritizing the hiring of local skilled trade workers, awarding of contracts to local companies and ensuring more opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups in the construction workforce.

Existing infrastructure projects for which contracts have already been awarded will continue to advance such as new schools (Paradise, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, Kenmount Terrace, Cartwright) and the new adult corrections facility. Municipal infrastructure work and the annual Roads Plan – which greatly impact many rural areas – will also proceed. These projects will also support local employment and economic activity across the province, prioritizing local hiring and procurement during construction.

This announcement builds on the previously announced changes to infrastructure procurement, which included cancelling Request for Proposals for a public-private partnership (P3) model for the twinning of two sections of the Trans-Canada Highway between Bishop’s Falls and Grand Falls-Windsor (15 kilometres) and west of Whitbourne (approximately 40 kilometres). The Provincial Government will instead invite qualified companies to bid on separate contracts that will be awarded progressively, similar to other projects under the annual provincial Roads Plan, with maintenance carried out by public service employees. This approach will create more opportunities for local contractors to compete for this significant road work.

Minister Petten announced that, given the province’s fiscal situation, several projects that do not align with immediate public priorities will not proceed, including:

• The Kenmount Crossing Acute Health Care Campus, which would have cost the public over $10 billion dollars and was not accounted for in the fiscal forecast;
• The Sports and Wellness Dome (St. John’s); and,
• The Mid-Sized Theatre.

Finally, the Minister confirmed that the Provincial Government will also continue to work with the Federal Government to secure Newfoundland and Labrador’s fair share of infrastructure spending and advocate for timely approvals on cost-shared projects.

In December, the province’s fall fiscal update outlined serious challenges, including a projected deficit of $948 million. Despite these challenges, government remains committed to its core priorities: better health care, affordable living, and safer communities for all of us.

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“We have made infrastructure decisions today that reflect smarter spending and better planning – commitments we made during our recent campaign. By reshaping our infrastructure priorities, we are controlling costs while focusing on what matters most: the needs of the people of our province. We will also continue to work with our federal counterparts on timely approvals so we can get shovels in the ground on our cost-shared projects.”
Honourable Barry Petten
Deputy Premier and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

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