Our region needs a multi-year capital budget to be ready for the very expensive changes needed to existing hospital facilities.
That’s one of the findings in a report done for the West Kootenay Boundary Hospital Board.
Chair Margeurite Rotvold says major additions or reno’s can cost up to $40-million in today’s prices and spending happens years before shovels go in the ground.
 The Regional Hospital Board has a reserve fund cap of ten million dollars but that’s not expected to be enough for our ageing hospitals in Trail and Nelson.
A consultant recommends the board also prepare a financial plan that shows different scenarios for big projects and what the tax implications would be for residents.