As the health authority puts out a request for qualifications to build the Yurkovich Tower at the Richmond Hospital, the cost of the entire project has ballooned from an estimated $860 million in 2020 to $1.959 billion.
The Ministry of Health said this is due to increased construction costs.
The lion's share of $1.89 billion will be paid by the provincial government with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) paying $30 million and the Richmond Hospital Foundation putting in $40 million.
Health Minister Adrian Dix was at the hospital on Tuesday, June 4 to announce the request for qualifications.
The new hospital will have 113 more hospital beds. The emergency department will have increased capacity and there will be three more operating rooms.
Tower construction is expected to start in 2026 and be completed by 2029.
Demolition of the rotunda is expected to begin this summer and the Park Centre is expected to be demolished starting in December 2024.
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