Rikjak Construction, a Nova Scotia company, was awarded the tender for the project in the spring.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal is coordinating the construction portion of the project.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority and the Department of Health and Wellness are planning the clinical part.
Mayor Karen Mattatall says the project taken long enough to get started.
“This is a project we have been waiting for now for approximately 10 years. It’s definitely taken longer. However it’s my understanding the clinic will be up and running and ready for use next year.”
Construction was originally scheduled to begin in June.
Mattatall doesn’t think the clinic will do anything to ease the number of emergency department closures at Roseway Hospital.
“I can’t personally see the connection because it’s my understand that they need doctors that are trained in ER and who will do ER so I’m not sure that’s there’s going to be any connection to ER closures. However we can certainly hope that that’s going to be the case because it’s certainly not acceptable the number of times our ER is closed.”
The new clinic will be made up of family physicians, nurse practitioners, a family practice nurse and support staff.
