City on track for new cancer centre

The City of Calgary will be getting a new cancer centre as planned in 2024 to replace the aging Tom Baker Cancer Centre at Foothills Hospital.

The City of Calgary will be getting a new cancer centre, as promised, in 2024.

A public open house is scheduled to take place on Wednesday night to hammer out the final costs on the project.

The new centre, which aims to replace the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, will include 160 in-patient beds, 12 radiation treatment areas, research labs and out-patient clinics.

The centre will not only support cancer patients, but the Calgary labour force as well, creating hundreds of jobs.

“Yesterday, Infrastructure Minister Brian Mason updated the province about the 8,000 new jobs our capital investments will create in 2016. The Calgary Cancer Centre Project is going to do the same right here in Calgary,” said Brandy Payne, Alberta’s Associate Minister of Health.

At the time of the last budget, $830M was allocated to the facility.

Renovations to the bone marrow transport unit at Foothills Hospital are also expected to begin while the new centre is being built.