Plans for a new hospital in Markdale are inching closer to reality.

“We are looking forward to being able to move forward with the next phase in the approval process,” said Kim Wingrove, CAO for Grey County.

Last week, Grey County passed a critical bylaw that would see the county transfer the future site of the hospital – a parcel of land to the west of Grey Gables long-term care facility in Markdale – to Grey Bruce Health Services (GBHS).

“This is a really positive day for Grey County and GBHS,” said Wingrove. “It has been a long time, a lot of work and a lot of support has gone into making this transfer possible.”

The Markdale hospital project has been in the works for over a decade.

The land transfer was most recently discussed by county council at the Feb. 27 committee of the whole meeting.

“This is a critical piece and it gets us one step closer to actually get the land in the hands of GBHS so that Grey Highlands can issue the site plan approval and then get the building permits in-hand to start construction,” said Randy Scherzer, director of planning and development for Grey County.

Following the land transfer, Grey Highlands council took an additional step forward at its council meeting held on Wednesday, receiving the site plan agreement and authorizing the mayor and clerk to sign it in the coming weeks.

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