Sale of former Leader hospital to be finalized

By Joan Janzen

The old Leader Union Hospital building has been vacant since the opening of the Leader and District Integrated Healthcare facility in 2018. However, the Town of Leader is anticipating the sale of the building will be finalized in a couple of weeks.

Erin Romanuik, Administrator for the Town of Leader, said, “We are negotiating the sale to a business from Surrey, B.C. The company name is Hyde Investments. They plan on renovating the interior of the building and using it to grow medical marijuana.”

Erin noted the facility would accommodate the entire growing cycle, but once harvested, the plants would be transported to a different facility for processing.

“In addition to the purchase of the hospital, they will be purchasing the former medical clinic, which will serve as a head office for the facilities operating in our corner of the province,” she stated

Before the sale could be finalized, the property needed to be re-zoned. Two public meetings were held where residents voiced their concerns and had their questions answered. Re-zoning of the property was completed in 2021, when it was zoned as Neighbourhood Commercial District (NC).

“If all goes according to plan, we can expect to see work being done to the buildings this fall,” Erin said. Hyde Industries intends to start their operations by the end of 2022. “We are still working on the sale of the former hospital, but are hopeful that within the next few weeks, the subdivision will be complete and the sale papers can be signed.”

In addition to the sale of the hospital building, the Town is in the process of selling the former ambulance buildings on the east side of the property. This property will be the future home of a current business serving Leader and area, and the new owner will be taking possession in the next couple of weeks.