2 Quebec hospitals to close
Buildings don't meet quake standards
Last Updated: Sunday, September 5, 2010 | 12:12 PM ET
CBC News
The Baie-St.-Paul hospital in Quebec's Charlevoix region will be demolished and another hospital in Malbaie will be closed while it undergoes major renovations, government officials said Saturday.
A provincial government study determined the hospitals, which are about 50 kilometres apart, don't meet standards to withstand earthquakes.
The report found the Baie-St.-Paul hospital would be too expensive to renovate.
Health Minister Yves Bolduc told reporters it could take three to five years to build a new hospital in the town on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Bolduc could not say how much the new hospital would cost. Work on the La Malbaie hospital will begin soon. The renovations will cost $3.9 million and will be aimed at strengthening the structure.
Health services in the area northeast of Quebec City will have to be redeployed while the work is done, over a period of six to eight months.
The region is one of Quebec's most earthquake-prone areas.
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