The province’s transportation and infrastructure minister is defending the decision to go with the Avalon Healthcare Partnership’s proposal for the Waterford replacement, despite it being the more costly option.

Yesterday, the department announced some of the finer details for the grading process among the three proposals.

The chosen plan beat out another submission, known as “Proposal B” by a slim margin on the grading scale. That project would be some $40-million cheaper.

The designs were graded by an evaluation team made up of those who will be working in the facility.

Minister Derek Bragg believes they made the right decision, noting that while the $40-million difference was a factor, it wasn’t the only element to consider.

“Cheaper is not necessarily better,” says Bragg. He says we are getting the best bang for our buck with a facility that will meet the needs of the province.