Qikiqtani General Hospital renovations delayed but on budget

The Nunavut government says renovations at Iqaluit'sQikiqtani General Hospital are under budget, even as the project is overdue.

Construction on the $36 million project, which began in the fall of 2012, stopped in April 2013 when the general contractor for the project, NCC Dowland, went bankrupt.

The project was re-tendered, and construction started again almost a year later, in March of 2014.

Despite the delays, Johan Glaudemans, the executive director of corporate services for Nunavut's health department, says the project remains on budget, at a total cost of about $39.5 million.

"GN had covered itself with a performance bond, that was paid out," says Glaudemans, referring to the Government of Nunavut. "So the GN did not suffer any losses on this. But there was a delay of 18 months, because of the process that had to happen after the bankruptcy of the original contractor."

Quinan Construction is the new contractor on the project. Once completed, Qikiqtani'solder wing will have a new entrance, elevator, and house the hospital's outpatient and specialist clinics.

Glaudemans says work should be finished towards the end of 2015.