The Interior Health Authority (IHA) announced today that they have awarded the architectural and planning services for Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre’s emergency department upgrades to Stantec Architecture Ltd.

The contract is worth $600,000, a cost that will be split between the province through IHA, and the Thompson Regional Hospital District.

The request for proposals was put out on July 2. The planning process is expected to take nine to 12 months to complete.

Stantec has worked with IHA in the past, with the Royal Inland Hospital’s intensive care unit and cancer centre, 100 Mile House Hospital’s Labratory, Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s Polson Tower and Kelowna General Hospital’s Centennial Tower.

Proceeding with a renovation project will be subject to prioritization of capital projects both provincially and within Interior Health, and the availability of capital funding,” reads the press release.