The Nova Scotia government is moving ahead with plans to expand the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, announcing Tuesday it is now inviting companies to bid on a contract to manage the construction of a new building at the site.

The province is spending $100 million to build a new emergency department, critical care department and cancer centre. Those services will be housed in a new 190,000-square-foot building to be built at the back of the hospital.

The new building will be connected to the current hospital by a pedway. Construction on the expansion is expected to begin next year. Once complete, the hospital will have a lot more space.

The new emergency room will be twice as large as the current one, the new cancer centre will double in size, and the critical-care department will be more than three times as large, according to a joint news release from the departments of infrastructure renewal and health and the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Companies have until Oct. 30 to submit a bid on the project.

The construction is part of the CBRM Health Care Redevelopment project, which officials hope will transform health care in the region.

In a news release, the province said the project will improve access to care, create more reliable services and modernize health-care facilities. The release also stated the improved work environment could help recruit and retain health professionals.

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