Brightshores Health System is working on potentially selling the former Centre Grey General Hospital following the opening of the new Markdale Hospital.
Brightshores Executive Vice President of Strategy and Development Sean Conroy says since the new hospital opened, there isn’t any planned use for the old Centre Grey General Hospital.
The old building is currently sitting vacant.
“Although we are continuing to monitor it with security. But we are working through a process that involves the ministry to get approval to be able to actually dispose or look to sell it,” says Conroy.
He says before they submit a business case to the Ministry of Health to get an endorsement to move ahead with the potential sale, there is a proposal which needs to be submitted.
“It actually goes to Ontario Health first and then goes to the ministry, and basically we have to delineate why we don’t have any further need for it,” says Conroy.
He says the business case will likely be submitted to the ministry within the next few months and will likely take upwards of four to six months for next steps.
“If we are looking ahead to a timeline of when we think we would be putting something out to solicit interested parties and proposals for that property, it would likely be sometime in the summer or towards the fall,” says Conroy.
He says the board will be using a decision framework to assess any parties interested in the site.
“It could involve anything from disposing it for very little for lets say a community or civic minded endeavour or proposal or plan, all they way up to somebody maybe to a private investor or someone who wanted to turn it into something,” says Conroy.
He adds Brightshores will not do any work on the building before it is potentially sold, and will likely be sold as is.
“I know we have received a few calls from different parties that are wondering about the property, so as soon as we get the process underway and hear back from the ministry, then we will be able to actually relay more definitive information to the public,” says Conroy.