Recent reports that it could be as late as 2019 before Sudbury has a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner have caused a stir among local NDP representatives.
Today during question period, Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas demanded to know why the Ontario Liberals "continue to let down the people of Sudbury by dragging out the wait for a promised PET scanner."
The scanner has been a promise since late 2015 and became a reality in November of 2016, when the province announced that they would be providing $4.6 million in funding in addition to the $1.6 million they had announced a year prior, in order to build a specialized suite for a PET scanner at Health Sciences North.
On Nov. 8, 2016, at the funding announcement, Health Minister Erik Hoskins said that HSN would be putting out a request for proposal for the new scanner suite "as soon as possible" and that it would take roughly 12 months to build.
On Tuesday, Energy Minister and Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault said they are on track to have the RFP prepared before the end of the fiscal year (March 31, 2018) and that construction should start soon after.
"From my point of view, I've been working with the ministry (of health) and when I heard from the Bruno family that they were concerned about this as well, I go right back to the minister who says everything is on track according to the letter that he wrote to the hospital," said Thibeault.
"They've already expedited many of the processes to get the project underway and HSN also has to review their submissions as promptly as possible to get in alignment with the schedule. I know everyone is working all hands on deck to get this done as quickly as possible and I'm going to continue to push to get this approval for the final stage to put the RFP out because that's really where we're at."
Operational dollars of $1.6 million per year are in place, Thibeault said, as is the additional $4.6 million is capital dollars for the space to house the scanner.
Sudbury NDP candidate Jamie West says that Sudburians and residents of the Northeast are owed an explanation about what is going on and why there has been a delay in getting the project off the ground.
"We are assuming that the $4.6 million capital allocation is essentially sitting in the bank, waiting to cover the cost of the construction of the suite," said West in a news release.
"Surely that money remains dedicated to building a PET/CT bunker regardless of any deficit the hospital may be working to erase."
In a recent interview, Mark Hartman, HSN's VP of cancer and clinical care, said the project is still in the design stage and that construction won't begin until the hospital is given approval from the ministry to go to tender. Hartman's timeline slates the build time at roughly nine months, as opposed to Hoskins who in 2016 said it would take around 12.
Gélinas said Tuesday it's a delay, no matter how you look at it.
"Sudbury has waited eight long years for a PET scanner. In December 2015, this government promised to change that," said Gélinas. "The Sam Bruno family raised the money. We did our work. We've done our part - so why is the scanner that was promised delayed by almost a year?"
Thibeault insists that comments about delays until 2019 have never been part of the conversations.
"I don't know where the word that it's being delayed to 2019 is, that's never been on anyone's radar so I'm not sure where France is getting that,” said Thibeault. “Maybe she's making it up.
"Minister Hoskins has been very clear that this is going to be completed when we talked about last year when we made the announcement, (which is) in 2018. The RFP will be going out before the end of this fiscal year and once the RFP is done we'll make sure we can see construction get underway and get this completed ASAP."
