Grand Chief signs Kateri Hospital expansion contract - Work set to begin within weeks

03/05/2015

The Mohawk Council of Kahnaw�:ke (MCK) would like to inform Kahnawa�kehr�:non that Grand Chief Mike Delisle Jr. has signed the general construction contract for the expansion and renovation of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre. The signing took place at the MCK on Wednesday, March 4, 2015.

�Hats off to the team; Robert Deom, Rhonda Kirby as the portfolio chief, Mike O�Brien and everyone else who has done so much work over the course of the last seven plus years to get this thing done,� said Grand Chief Mike Delisle Jr. �Now we�re ready to roll.�

�We�d like to thank all of the hospital staff for their patience, because for quite a bit of time they were thinking that this project may never happen,� said Portfolio Chief Rhonda Kirby. �Considering the size of the project and the location, a lot will be going on in a small area so we will require the support and patience of the community as well. Once again, congratulations to everyone!� 

The expansion project, which will see the hospital add thirty (30) beds to the current 43, was announced in 2007 as a joint effort between Kahnaw�:ke and Quebec. Work is expected to begin during the week of March 9th.

�There are a lot of dovetails and benefits, not only in jurisdiction, but also financially speaking, for Kahnawake,� the Grand Chief continued. �This is a long time coming and I am glad to be a part of it.� 

The Kateri Memorial Hospital was founded in 1905. The original building was replaced by a new facility in 1988, which was built through a special nation-to-nation agreement between Kahnaw�:ke and Quebec.