Premier Dwight Ball says any doubt about government’s commitment to have a new hospital built in Corner Brook can now be set aside.

The Premier was on hand along with other government members for a ground-breaking ceremony at the site of the new acute-care hospital in Corner Brook.

The journey to a new hospital has been a long and protracted one, starting with a 2007 PC government promise to build a replacement for the aging facility.

There has been a series of site assessments, plans, designs, and redesigns since then that included taking radiation treatment off the table.

Premier Dwight Ball understands why west coast residents would be skeptical after all that time.

He says those fears can finally be set to rest, and the people of the west coast will have a new acute-care hospital by 2023.

The seven-storey, 164-bed facility will have the same services currently provided at the Western Memorial Regional Hospital, as well as an expanded cancer care program including radiation services.

Excavation of the site is set to begin next month with the concrete pour scheduled for early October.