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Alberta deferring $637 million in maintenance to health facilities: Liberals

Alberta’s opposition Liberals say documents show the province is $637 million behind in maintaining its hospitals, clinics, and care centres.

EDMONTON — Alberta’s opposition Liberals say documents show the province is $637 million behind in maintaining its hospitals, clinics, and care centres.

The information was given to the Liberals following a freedom-of-information request.

Party health critic David Swann says deferred maintenance leads to bigger problems down the road, such as what happened recently at Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital.

Flooding from a burst pipe just over a week ago forced the cancellation of 126 surgeries and 170 exploratory procedures.

Liberal Leader Raj Sherman says the province should take the extra $1 billion a year it is getting in health transfers from the federal government and direct it into maintenance.

While upgrades are needed across the province, Foothills General Hospital in Calgary tops the list with almost $81 million in deferred maintenance.