Iqaluit hospital renovations to be re-tendered

The contract for renovation work at Iqaluit's Qikiqtani General Hospital will be re-tendered, and that will likely mean delays for the project.

Renovations to the older wing of the hospital were already underway last month when Dowland Contracting abandoned the site, after running into financial trouble.

The contract will be re-tendered by the company that insured the project. It's not clear how long it will take to secure a new contractor.

In the meantime, the renovation work will soon come to a halt.

"It is stretching the limits of what we can do with the space we have right now," said Monte Kehler, the hospital's director of support services.

"It's tough on staff, especially physicians who don't have permanent offices.  If there's a long-term delay, we'll have to look at how else we can provide space for people to work and potentially other places that clients might have to be seen, outside the hospital."

The setback is not expected to cause any major changes to the project's budget. The renovations are expected to cost more than $36 million.