Mayor makes pitch for new Elliot Lake hospital

Elliot Lake mayor Dan Marchisella is spending the first part of this week in Toronto at the Good Roads Association meeting.  One of his goals is a pitch for a new hospital in Elliot Lake.  The current hospital is 57 years old and Marchisella says it’s costing more to keep upgrading it.  Marchisella says St. Joseph’s Hospital is now lacking in key areas like palliative care and that’s not good for the retirement living concept.  A rough estimate puts a new hospital at $80 to $100 million with the city’s share at about 10 percent.  Marchisella says it’s important to start the ball rolling on this project now because approvals, if any, are years away.   Marchisella is also trying to get government approval to speed up Phase Two of the cottage lot development and a new rec-plex.