A new heliport at Oilfields General Hospital is nearing completion, but its opening date remains unknown.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) told the Western Wheel that construction on the $1-million heliport is progressing on schedule and on budget.
However, Transport Canada needs to give final approval before the heliport can be used. AHS said that can take up to two months after construction is complete.
Commissioning of the heliport will include testing it, and training staff, before the first helicopter can use the new landing pad. AHS will notify the community when the new landing pad is officially open.
Work on landscaping, electrical and lighting systems, fencing, and painting is underway and should be completed in several weeks, AHS said.
A 2019 review of all AHS heliports in the province found safety concerns with the heliport at Oilfields General Hospital. Those concerns meant a replacement needed to to be built further away from the hospital, but still on the grounds.
In June 2021, AHS announced that planning had begun for a new heliport, and that construction would begin later that year.
As construction continues and final steps are completed, air ambulance helicopters will continue to land at a temporary landing site on private land near the hospital. Currently, patients are transported between the temporary site and the hospital by ground ambulance.
AHS says this is common practice across the province and has been used previously in Black Diamond.