ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Transportation and Works Minister Steve Crocker says his department has full confidence in the location for the replacement for the Waterford Hospital, which is being built in a floodplain.
The department held a news conference on Tuesday morning with the sole goal of stating that installing a berm was always part of the plan for the Health Sciences Centre location.
“In 2014 it was first decided that a berm was necessary coming from the CBCL report. What we’ve done here is looked at the possibility of building the new mental health facility on this site, using the berm,” said Crocker.
“There is a challenge with regards to climate change, but we’re quite confident with what we’ve seen from the experts in this field.”
A berm is the same as a dam, as it can be used to redirect the flow of water. In this case, a retention pond between Prince Phillip Drive and the existing hostel will be reinforced by adding two such berms or dams in the area. The changes would increase the amount of water stored by the retention pond and keep floodwaters away from the new mental health and addictions facility.
“There is a challenge with regards to climate change, but we’re quite confident with what we’ve seen from the experts in this field.” — Steve Crocker
The flood map for the area, updated in 2014, plans for a 100-year flood event on the Rennie’s River.
As the climate crisis continues globally, more such storms are occurring. In Ottawa, for one example, two 100-year floods have taken place in the last three years.
“The berms, at the end of the day, make it safer for everybody,” said Crocker.
“There’s a tremendous amount of infrastructure in that part of the city. The enhanced berms give a chance to make that entire piece of the city safer.”
Health Minister John Haggie repeated that the goal of housing the new mental health and addictions facility at the Health Sciences Centre area is to further integrate mental and physical health services. Not only would it prevent duplication of services and allow faster patient transfers, it would help reduce stigma surrounding mental health, Haggie said.
St. John’s Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary has been vocally against the location. Speaking on behalf of the city at the Tuesday council meeting, O’Leary says council sent a letter some time ago expressing its displeasure with the site.
"Climate change is coming, so making sure that we do sustainable builds in our cities is a part of that package." — Sheilagh O'Leary
She says the province is breaking the city’s regulations.
“We have these regulations there for a reason. We want to make sure that we build in a sustainable way. … Climate change is coming, so making sure that we do sustainable builds in our cities is a part of that package,” said O’Leary.
“Berms are certainly a long time being used to help mitigate, but berms are not a be all and end all solution. They cannot be 100 per cent foolproof. There could be potential for items to be blocked in the waterways, so there’s no guarantee that a berm will be the be all and end all solution for mitigating floods in a known flooding area.”
A tender for both the south and north berm will be issued in the coming months. Construction of the new adult mental health and addictions facility is expected to begin in the summer of 2020 and wrap up in 2022-23.
With files from Juanita Mercer
Twitter: @DavidMaherNL
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