Medical clinic planned for newly opened urban reserve

Roseau River Chief Terry Nelson revealed plans for a new medical clinic Tuesday as he cut the ribbon Tuesday on the first phase of an urban reserve north of Winnipeg.

The urban reserve land, located off Highway 6 just north of the Perimeter Highway, ishome to a $1.5-million gas bar and smoke shop.

But Nelson has plans to erect $40 million in development on the 30-hectare site over the next few years. It willinclude a car dealership, big-box stores and now, he says, a medical clinic.

Nelson is partnering on the planwith B.C. Senator Gerry St. Germain a Mtis originally from Manitoba and internet pharmacy millionaire Daren Jorgenson, who plans to bankroll the first phase of the clinic's operations.

"We're going to start off with family physicians and a pharmacy," said Morris Silver, a consultant working on the plan.

"Through time, we'll expand to include diagnostic imaging suites like MRI and CT scanners, and then a surgical suite for laparoscopic surgery."

Dental and optical services and a diabetes clinic are also in the plan.

Nelsonsaid the clinic would be operated for profit and by the reserve, not by a regional health authority.

"It's on reserve land. It will be owned by the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, and it's going to be operated under the authority of the First Nation," he said.

Nelsonenvisions the clinic serving two types of customers: First Nations patients who would already be coming to Winnipeg for health services, and non-aboriginal patients willing to pay for speedier medical service.

The clinic would giveaboriginal patients better service and take the strain off the public system, he said.

"What we want to provide to the province and the federal government is a solution," he said.

Nelson hasn't consulted governments on his plan, so he doesn't know if Health Canada will refer or fund patients, or how the province will react to his proposal a for-profit medical centre on the site.

In the past, theManitoba government has not been receptive to proposals from private clinics wishing to provide services already covered by the public health system.

The federal government granted reserve status to the band-owned land in June, after Nelson had threatened to blockade rail lines on the main reserve, 80 kilometres south of Winnipeg, during a planned aboriginal day of action.