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The provincial government says it intends to rebuild West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby.

The announcement on Wednesday came with a $500,000 grant to begin the planning to replace the 72-year-old facility.

“This will be the first step to building a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, right here at this location,” Premier Doug Ford said.

The government also said that the hospital’s obstetric and surgical services would not shut down within two years, despite reports to the contrary, and announced $8.5 million for immediate improvements to infrastructure.

Earlier this fall, a report from an architecture firm found that the hospital needed renovations to the tune of $8.59 million over a period of 27 months.

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The government did not indicate a timeline in which the hospital would be completed.

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