First, the NL government cancelled a courthouse project in Stephenville Crossing. Now mayor is worried about fate of long-term care centre

Stephenville Crossing mayor says town wants to know what will happen with the site of the cancelled courthouse

Stephenville Crossing Mayor Lisa Lucas still feels there’s too many unanswered questions when it comes to what will happen with the site of the cancelled courthouse and the future of the Bay St. George Long Term Care Centre in her town. Lucas and other members of town council met with Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Barry Petten and St. George’s-Humber MHA Hal Cormier last week. She said Petten told them he was shocked when he visited the courthouse site.

“He expected a building,” she said. Instead, all he saw was what was left of the former College of the North Atlantic Martin Gallant Building: a shell standing on pillars and piles of dirt and brick everywhere. “Of course, obviously, our big concern was the state of the premises right now,” Lucas told The Telegram on Friday, July 10.

She said Patten told them the site was likely to be deemed contaminated and unusable, and that it could become a green space. But that’s something the town already has enough of, said Lucas. “My first thought was if my oil tank spilled in my backyard, I’d have to get that remediated right away at my expense.

It’s a very large area, so if there’s this much contamination, our water well is right next door. How soon and how efficiently is this going to be dealt with?” She said that was something that Petten couldn’t answer.

Puzzled by it all “I just find the whole thing ridiculous. I know it was a project that was made possible by the Liberal Party and then the PC Party is almost like, ‘We inherited it and we inherited a mess,’” said Lucas. She spoke of the red flags that have been associated with the project, including huge bills, cost increases, asbestos and the supports not being structurally sound.

“The PC government’s been in long enough that any projects that were underway, I think, should have been supervised,” she said. “I’d like to see the report that was done beforehand. Was there one done?

How was the project,as it progressed, looked at or watched? I don’t think it was.” “So, you stopped it, but it can’t sit there.

We want that dealt with immediately. I guess we want some transparency.” And so do the town’s residents.

Lucas has been fielding a lot of calls, including some from people with a background in environmental issues. “They would like to see actual visible proof that the soil is contaminated beyond use above a greenspace,” she said. She said the land the new clinic in Stephenville was built on was contaminated and remediated.

“Is it really that far gone and that nothing can be done, because that is a huge piece of real estate,” she said of the courthouse site. What about the long-term care facility? The council is also concerned about the future of the Bay St. George Long Term Care Centre.

The province acquired land in the town for the construction of a new facility in September 2025, but when Budget 2026 referred to it as the Stephenville/Bay St. George Long Term Care Centre, Lucas said warning bells were raised that the plan was to move it out of the community. “When you start hearing the rumour train that they’ve already got the site picked out in Stephenville, that really angers me,” she said. “We’ve had this facility for over 50 years.

How can anybody not expect a community to get upset over even the thought of that leaving? “OK, now the courthouse is gone, and you want to take the long-term care. What are we left with?

A couple of struggling businesses that are relying on the spinoff from these buildings.” Lucas said Petten was willing to work with the town and suggested there were other government offices that could come into Stephenville Crossing. “So, my question is when?

Ten years after they take the home? We’ve offered them a spot for the long-term care centre. We had given them a viable spot for the courthouse,” she said.

“If they’re looking at now totally rebuilding a new courthouse, say in Stephenville, why? Why can’t you remediate the soil that’s there or show me a report that proves it’s not doable and put it there anyway? Rebuild.

Start over. Because no matter where they build, they’re going to have to start over.” Lucas said there are other places they could put the courthouse in the town, and some of that is Crown land that’s owned by the province.

“Somebody has got to get their ducks in a row and get some stuff moving,” she added. Lucas said Liberal Leader John Hogan has contacted her to see if there is anything he can do to offer support She’s considering responding to see if the Opposition can help speed things up. “We can do with all the help we can get,” said Lucas.

Department responds According to an emailed statement from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, Petten said that he explained to the council he had significant concerns prior to the final decision being made to cancel the contract to redevelop the Martin Gallant Building. “The minister noted that escalating costs and substantial cost overruns had reached a point where proceeding with the project could no longer be justified from a financial perspective,” said the department. It said Petten emphasized to the town council that the decision was based solely on fiscal responsibility and ensuring value for taxpayers and was not politically motivated.

“He noted that the project is located within a government member’s district, underscoring that the decision was made on financial and practical grounds,” the department’s statement added. Petten told the council that government remains committed to providing a new courthouse for the region and the project is currently being reassessed to determine the most appropriate path forward. A stakeholder engagement process will be undertaken to help inform the final decision, and the department said further details will follow once that work is complete.

“Recognizing the impact the cancellation may have on the community, the minister encouraged the town to identify and communicate its key priorities and infrastructure needs,” said the department. The department also said Petten is committed to reviewing the status and suitability of existing government office space in the area to ensure government services continue to be delivered effectively. As for the planning for the long-term care facility, the department said Petten advised the council that the provincial government and Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services are working to identify the most appropriate location for the facility, with a focus on meeting the needs of the entire Bay St. George region.

The department said NL Health has been asked to provide recommendations, and a decision is expected in the near future. Sign up here for our morning newsletter, our breaking news and our new Telegram This Week newsletters to get more in-depth coverage of the stories that matter most in Newfoundland and Labrador, right in your inbox.