The Alberta government is investing $1.8 billion to redevelop and expand the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. The expansion is the largest in Alberta’s history and the largest taxpayer investment in the history of central Alberta.

It will begin with a $193 million investment over the next three years and will include 200 new in-patient beds, increasing hospital capacity from 370 beds to 570 beds or by 54 per cent.

The expansion also provides for three new operating rooms, increasing surgical capacity to 14 operating rooms. The project also includes a new cardiac catheterization lab.

“The expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is extremely significant for our city and long overdue. This historical investment means that central Albertans will benefit from increased surgical and in-patient capacity, benefiting our community in ways that were previously not possible,” said Adriana LaGrange, minister of education and MLA for Red Deer-North. “As the third-largest city in the province, this expansion will go a long way in providing the medical care and attention we have long needed and strongly advocated for.”

As Alberta’s third largest metro region, the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is the primary health service provider for the Central Alberta regional population, and every Albertan travelling along the central QEII corridor, servicing a population of half a million people.

“This is a monumental day for our city and for the central Alberta region. It is with extreme gratitude that we recognize the provincial government for this significant investment in the care of central Albertans,” said Ken Johnston, mayor, City of Red Deer.

The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is the busiest hospital outside of Edmonton and Calgary. It has the fourth-highest volume of any Alberta Health Services’ facility. The project’s next steps include functional programming and design. Completion of the expansion is anticipated for 2030-2031.