A final decision is far from being made, but Western Health is defending its proposal to use the Corner Brook Civic Centre Annex for a much-needed school of nursing.

There are over 250 students enrolled in nursing programs at the Western Regional School of Nursing, but they cannot all be accommodated at the Grenfell campus for the entirety of their schooling.

The chair of Western Health’s Board of Trustees, Bryson Webb, says the aim was to find a home for the Western Regional School of Nursing with both adjacency to the Grenfell Campus and cost-efficiency in mind.

The best option was something either on the campus or immediately adjacent. They approached the university, which informed them it could not look at financing and building another structure on its campus for a nursing school.

Webb says they also looked at the Rec Complex which is also owned by the university, but it was not financially practical.

He says the university was not interested in building another structure at that site either, so they would have to move to a third party builder, the costs of which to do so would have been considerable.

Western Health says it is sensitive to the community groups seeking options for recreational space in Corner Brook and it hopes a solution can be found that benefits all involved. It says through discussions with the City of Corner Brook, it was understood that alternate recreational space would be available for user groups.