Nearly two years after a sod turning ceremony, construction on a long-delayed provincially funded nursing home in Grenfell, Sask. could begin in the near future.

The province backed out of the project due to rising costs but now claims it’s ready to move forward once again.

According to the province, a new deal is lined up to get the long-term care home built in Grenfell.

“That’s all a go. We’re just in the process of signing a contract with the proponent that was chosen to build it and we should see shovels in the ground soon,” Minister of Rural and Remote Health Lori Carr said.

Grenfell has been without a nursing home since 2018 when mold forced the then existing facility to permanently close.

In 2023, a sod turning ceremony took place for a replacement before the province halted the project because of higher than expected costs.

The Opposition NDP has been critical over how long it’s taking to build a new home in the community.

“This was in 2018; it has been a disaster since then watching the Sask. Party scramble and seeing them not deliver on this project,” NDP MLA Vicki Mowat said. “What it has meant is more people being displaced to Regina, more people being displaced to private care homes,” she added.

The construction site remains ready from the previous start and this time, the province says it intends to see the project through to completion.

Grenfell, Sask. is about 126 kilometres east of Regina.