LISTING: TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE
SYMBOL: BDT

TORONTO, Jan. 2, 2017 /CNW/ - Bird Construction Inc. announced today that Fraser Health has selected Bird Design-Build Construction Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, as the preferred proponent to design and build a new mental health facility and energy centre at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, British Columbia.   

The new 75-bed Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) wellness centre will be a four-storey building with approximately 13,000-square-metres that will provide both inpatient and outpatient services. The MHSU building will include a two-level bridge link to the existing hospital with one level for patient movement and the other for hospital services. In addition, the building will have a multi-level 450 stall parkade to service the campus. The energy centre is designed to support the needs of the existing campus in addition to the new MHSU building and is sized to support future proposed redevelopment phases. It will also house an IT communication hub which is designed to support Royal Columbian Hospital's future information technology infrastructure requirements.  The project, targeting LEED Gold certification, is expected to commence construction in early 2017 and be completed in winter 2019.  At this time there can be no assurances that the Company will receive a contract award related to this project.

Mr. Ian Boyd, Bird's President and CEO, stated that "We are proud to be selected as the preferred proponent on this project and look forward to enhancing our existing relationship with Fraser Health.  Projects like these are technically complex, which remain a strategic focus for our Company, and provide the opportunity for our staff to participate in giving back to the New Westminster community through the construction of a facility that will have a lasting positive impact."

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Many factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

The Toronto Stock Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Bird Construction Inc.