Yorkton Mayor Mitch Hippsley was optimistic he’d see more funding for the construction of the heavily anticipated Yorkton Regional Hospital in the latest provincial budget.
An increase in funding was provided. However, it was not exactly what Hippsley expected.
“We did get a little bit. Another $200,000 was allocated for planning for the hospital. Now they’re at $500,000 [to date]. No one spends $500,000 unless the intention is to build that hospital,” he told CTV News on Tuesday.
Hippsley called the extra funding a “step forward,” but said it’s “time for real action.”
He added that residents in the service area will have to fundraise 10 per cent of the total cost of the facility in the near future, which would have a price tag of roughly $30 million.
Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit said the work behind the scenes is ongoing.
“We’re expecting that [planning phase] to be completed sometime …