Amid the year-end political noise and seasonal distractions, a significant development for Alberta's healthcare future has slipped by with surprisingly little fanfare: the official announcement regarding the new site for the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton.
A Vital Hub Flying Under the Radar
The Stollery Children's Hospital is far more than a local facility. It serves as the primary medical centre for nearly 300,000 children every year, drawing patients from across northern Alberta and Western Canada. As confirmed in the provincial government's own announcement, it holds the distinction of being the second-largest children's hospital in the entire country, surpassed only by Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.
Despite its monumental importance to families and the healthcare system, the recent news about planning its new location received only mild media coverage. This follows a frustrating pattern where the essential, but less glamorous, planning stages of major infrastructure projects are routinely overshadowed. The public and press often reserve their full attention for the groundbreaking ceremony or the grand opening, neglecting the critical steps that make those moments possible.
Why the Planning Phase Matters
In a modern society like Alberta's, there needs to be a cultural shift to not just accept but actively celebrate the planning process. While it may lack the excitement of a ribbon-cutting, this phase embodies two fundamental principles of good governance: accountability and responsibility.
By announcing these procedural steps, the government demonstrates accountability, showing taxpayers where public funds are being allocated in the project timeline. It also shows responsibility, proving a commitment to seeing the project through to completion by taking measured, practical steps forward. Hospitals are not built overnight; they require a solid, calculated, and realistic blueprint to ensure they stand and serve effectively for decades.
Building a Foundation for the Future
The dedicated teams of planners, architects, and administrators working on this project deserve public respect and the benefit of the doubt. Their work in these early stages lays the indispensable foundation for the physical building to come. Rushing or glossing over planning jeopardizes the entire endeavour.
As the article's author, a new father, aptly compares it: watching the planning process is like watching a baby learn to crawl. The desire is for the child to run, but that milestone is only reached through patient encouragement of each small, foundational movement. Similarly, a successful, lasting hospital is the result of meticulous, step-by-step preparation that we, as a community, should recognize and support from the very beginning.
