Send this page to someone via email

With just days to go before Nova Scotians elect their next provincial government, 15 acres of land in Bayers Lake is stirring up some controversy on the campaign trail.

In April, 10 days before calling an election, Stephen McNeil announced the province had spent $7.5 million dollars to buy land just off Susie Lake Crescent.

READ: Nova Scotia hospitals need $85 million for urgent repairs and maintenance: report

The goal is to put a Community Outpatient Centre on the site, which will replace some of the services that are currently offered at the VG but will be lost during the redevelopment of the QE2 Health Sciences Centre.

WATCH: Nova Scotia premier announces Halifax’s QEII hospital will get suburban outpost

1:54 Nova Scotia premier announces Halifax’s QEII hospital will get suburban outpost Nova Scotia premier announces Halifax’s QEII hospital will get suburban outpost

PC Leader Jamie Baillie says the party submitted a Freedom of Information Request to the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, looking for all correspondence regarding the decision not to tender the purchase of land in Bayers Lake, and the process used to select the property.

Story continues below advertisement

The response the PCs got back was that there were “no records responsive to your application.”

“It just doesn’t add up,” Baillie told Global News on Saturday. Tweet This

“The premier told us there was a legitimate process for buying those lands in Bayers Lake. The mayor of Halifax said it didn’t make sense, we say it doesn’t make sense. Now, we find out there was no process at all.”

READ: Questions linger surrounding newly acquired Bayers Lake outpatient site

Baillie says there should be a paper trail and is calling the purchase a political move.

“Mr. McNeil’s really letting us down here. He actually stood on that site and made a political, pre-election announcement that it was the right place. The mayor of Halifax said it isn’t, and now we know that they didn’t even have a process to pick it,” said Baillie.

READ: Nova Scotia Election: Liberals, PCs neck-and-neck in recent poll

McNeil said the government looked at 15 different parcels of land before deciding which one to purchase.

As for the request for documents, McNeil says the Freedom of Information Request asked for information related to tending — but there is no process for tendering land.

Story continues below advertisement

“It’s just Jamie, just ignoring the facts,” said McNeil. “He’ll say anything at this point. He’s just trying to say anything to grab some attention.” Tweet This

WATCH: Gloves come off as Nova Scotia election enters last week

1:48 Gloves come off as Nova Scotia election enters last week Gloves come off as Nova Scotia election enters last week

McNeil said Baillie is looking for any reason for the Bayers Lake site not to work.

“You know what, every Nova Scotian that I’ve talked to is excited about this, except for one,” said McNeil. Tweet This

“This is unfortunate, that what is a good news story for this province is that we’re getting a chance to re-deploy our health-care services in HRM, that they’ve continued to look for political reasons for this reason,” he said. “There’s nothing there. I wasn’t involved in it. It didn’t come to me.”

Story continues below advertisement

Election day is May 30.

READ MORE: Complete Nova Scotia election coverage

Follow @NatashaPace