TORONTO — Ontario Liberal MPPs John Fraser and Stephen Blais held a press conference Monday demanding the Ford government release the full budget for Ottawa’s new Civic Hospital campus and commit to covering any increase in the local share above original estimates.The demand follows Infrastructure Minister David Piccini’s comments last week at a legislative committee. He said the province is now putting “just shy of $10 billion” toward the project — nearly five times the original $2.1 billion provincial contribution to a hospital once estimated at $2.8 billion total.Fraser, interim Liberal leader and MPP for Ottawa South, said taxpayers should not be left guessing. “You cannot put nearly $10 billion on the table and leave taxpayers guessing about the bill,” he said in a news release. “Patients across Ottawa and eastern Ontario deserve to know when their hospital will open. They should not have to chase this government for basic answers.”Blais, infrastructure critic and MPP for Orléans, warned against treating Ottawa’s fundraising as a blank cheque. He called for the province to cover any rise beyond the original local share estimate of about $700 million. “The Ford government cannot treat Ottawa’s generosity as a blank cheque,” Blais said. “The province must cover any increase beyond the original estimate of the local share.”.The Liberals posed five questions to the minister of health: who oversees the project, why a project of this size drew only a single bid, when it will actually open, what the total cost is, and what Ottawa’s local share will be. They want written answers and a provincial commitment to protect local taxpayers and the community’s fundraising efforts.The original plan called for the hospital to open in 2028. Construction on the main building has not started. A project consultant previously told city councillors the opening is likely delayed well into the 2030s. Site work and a parking garage are underway near Dow’s Lake and Carling Ave.The project received only one bid — from a joint venture of EllisDon and PCL Constructors. The province uses a progressive public-private partnership model intended to encourage competition. Critics note similar projects have faced limited interest and rising costs.Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has said the city will not cover billions in overruns. “Health care’s a provincial responsibility. Hospital construction is a provincial responsibility,” Sutcliffe told reporters last week. The city was previously asked for $150 million toward the local share; council has not yet approved it.Fraser said residents deserve to know how costs got out of control. “They deserve a guarantee that they won’t be left holding the bag for the Ford government’s mismanagement,” he said. Blais added: “Put the money on the table. Put deadlines on the calendar. Keep your word. Ottawa keeps paying. Ford keeps borrowing. And Ottawa patients keep waiting.”
