(Submitted Photo/STARS Air Ambulance)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Important Project

Nipawin Heliport project becoming closer to a reality

Nov 29, 2023 | 9:24 AM

The Nipawin Hospital is one step closer to seeing construction start on its heliport.

Town Council met on Monday and approved setting aside roughly $142,000 for the project.

The heliport is expected to cost around $750,000 with about $430,000 already being collected.

To ensure construction can start in the spring, each of the nine participating communities has been asked to set aside a certain amount of money. The total share for each community was based on how many people live in the area.

“This gives us the opportunity by guaranteeing the funds that we can go ahead and do this. We don’t want to wait any longer,” said Marlon Zacharias, mayor of the Town of Nipawin.

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The heliport has been in the works since the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. This is because those who were brought to the Nipawin Hospital for treatment had to rely on an ambulance instead of STARS, costing them valuable minutes.

“Minutes can save lives. So, by having this landing pad right at the hospital we’re going to save time and save lives,” said Zacharias.

The costs each of the communities are planning to cover can still drop. That’s because the Twin Lakes District Planning Commission, which is overlooking the project, continues to fundraise for the project. For example, if they were able to get a $100,000 donation it would be taken out of the share of each community with the largest areas getting the most amount reduced.

“As fundraising continues to happen, our share would actually drop,” said Zacharias.

The plan is for the project to start in the spring. If it does start on time, it’s expected to be finished before the end of 2024.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow