A look at the new event centre being built in The Yard District (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Economic Boost

Year in Review: P.A.’s major construction boom

Dec 23, 2023 | 5:00 PM

As 2023 draws to a close, paNOW is taking a look back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, as selected by our reporters and editorial staff.

Prince Albert is looking at roughly $1 billion in development.

That’s coming from Craig Guidinger, the city’s manager of Planning and Development, who spoke to paNOW back in the spring about all the projects happening in the area.

The biggest is without a doubt the Victoria Hospital Expansion. This project, which is expected to cost well over $300 million, will increase the number of beds at the hospital from 173 to 242, add a new acute care tower, and replace the existing adult mental health space.

Construction officially got underway in July. The first step is building the new parking lot as much of the future work will take place where the current parking lot is.

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“The people of Prince Albert have been waiting for this for a while now. This is a step in the right direction,” said Paul Merriman, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Health.

The hope is to have construction start on the next phase next summer.

P.A.’s Yard District also saw its first building open to the public in early December. The Holiday Inn Express, the city’s biggest hotel, welcomed its first guests just over a year after construction officially started.

Gary Brar, the hotel’s owner, told paNOW they’re already expecting a lot of business.

“We’ve been approached by numerous hockey teams, hosting (the teams competing in the) tournaments happening next year… a lot of people reaching out to us,” he said.

Brar is also overseeing another large development. His company, P.G. Broad Investment, is constructing three new apartment buildings near the Victoria Hospital.

Two will be finished sometime in 2024, with the third being a possibility.

Two other major developments are happening in the area.

The Métis Nation – Saskatchewan (MN-S) is building a community hub for its citizens. They’ll be able to get help navigating the programs that are being offered.

“Not just our various government programs that are available to them, but provincial and federal government programming as well. So, it’s going to be a one-stop shop for people to go get assistance,” said Jason Mercredi, the Director of Social Infrastructure for the MN-S, to paNOW in October.

There’s currently no firm timeline for when the building will be operational.

The other project planned for the area is the First Nations University of Canada’s (FNUniv) new northern campus. It will replace the current building on Central Avenue and allow the school to house over 100 more students.

Meanwhile, the City of Prince Albert had another big development finish in 2023.

After years of fundraising, the Rose Garden Hospice officially opened its doors this past summer.

“It felt amazing,” said Marina Mitchell, a committee member who was involved in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It was just a feeling that I had actually never felt before.”

The hospice was named in honour of her mother Rose.