Asbestos partly removed from P.E.I.'s Kings County Memorial Hospital

Officials say asbestos was removed from some high-priority areas at Kings County Memorial Hospital, but the material will not be fully removed and the timeline for a replacement facility remains unclear.

Asbestos has been removed from some high-priority areas at Kings County Memorial Hospital in eastern Prince Edward Island, officials said. An annual review identified higher- and lower-risk locations of asbestos within the Three Rivers health facility and guided which areas were addressed. Community Hospitals East administrator Tara Roche said full removal of asbestos from the aging 1971 building will not be possible and that abatement work is costly. Plans to replace the hospital were included in the province's 2021 capital budget, but a firm construction timeline has not been confirmed. Known details: - Removal work focused on areas identified as high priority in the hospital's assessment. - Officials stated the asbestos will not be fully removed from the aging facility. - A 2025 Health P.E.I. assessment found asbestos-containing materials in sections that needed removal before planned renovations. - Some areas of the hospital were closed during abatement, but patient services continued with minimal disruption, according to administrators. - The province set aside $13.3 million for planning a replacement facility in the 2021 capital budget and later purchased land for a new hospital. - Although construction had previously been discussed for 2025, officials say the current timeline for building the replacement remains unclear. Summary: The work removed asbestos from higher-risk parts of the hospital while allowing services to continue with limited interruption. Officials say complete removal is not planned and further abatement will be considered in the context of a future replacement facility. Undetermined at this time.