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Pleasant Hill School in Saskatoon is expected to be resurrected as a wellness centre with an MRI machine this fall, according to the CEO of the First Nations corporation behind the redevelopment.
Jay Funk, CEO of Ahtahkakoop Cree Developments Medical Holdings LP, appeared before city council’s municipal planning commission Tuesday to discuss the project and the rezoning required for it to move forward.
Nearby, the provincial government is building Saskatoon’s first urgent care centre on the grounds of the former elementary school, on land now owned by Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation and leased long-term by the province.
Funk said refurbishing the school, located a block west of St. Paul’s Hospital, for the wellness centre is expected to cost about $25 million to $27 million and it will open in the fall.
“Let’s face it, the majority of people [in the surrounding community] are First Nation, right?” Funk said in an interview on Tuesday.
“So, you know, with our community and our band going in there … [we’re] making sure that we’re leading by example in the city of Saskatoon and making sure that we’re helping, not just First Nations [people], but everyone in Saskatchewan and Saskatoon.”
This conceptual drawing shows the front of Pleasant Hill School in Saskatoon after renovation to accommodate a health and wellness centre. (City of Saskatoon)
In addition to medical imaging with a “state-of-the-art” MRI, Funk said the centre will have X-ray and ultrasound equipment and a pharmacy.
The company is also partnering with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology for X-ray technicians and mental health and addiction counsellors.
Funk said there will also be an Elders program, and discussions continue with the province about other services for the site.
To alleviate concerns about parking when the new facilities open, Funk said construction of a three-storey, 150-vehicle parkade on school grounds could begin as early as next month.
Total investment by Atakhakoop in redeveloping the site on Avenue S South between 20th Street and 21st Street is expected to reach about $50 million.
The province has said the urgent care centre will reach “substantial completion” in the fall, but it is not expected to be open until early in 2027.
An urgent care centre is supposed to offer some relief for hospital emergency rooms by delivering treatment for medical conditions that require urgent care but are not life-threatening.
The province’s first urgent care centre opened in Regina in September 2024, but it has struggled with a shortage of physicians and reduced its hours.
Saskatoon’s municipal planning commission, an advisory group composed mostly of ordinary residents, endorsed the request to rezone the site so the refurbishment of Pleasant Hill School can proceed and the parkade can be built.
City council must approve the rezoning at a public hearing, possibly on Jan. 28.
“We’re excited,” said Funk, who thanked city hall and Premier Scott Moe for helping the project move forward.
“It’s [the] first of its kind in Saskatchewan history, putting this together.”
Funk said it’s not yet known how many people will be employed at the site.
Ahtahkakoop First Nation is also pursuing urban reserve status for the property, but Darryl Dawson, the city’s development review manager, told the meeting such a designation takes a long time.
Randy Pshebylo, executive director of the Riversdale Business Improvement District, spoke in support of the project and urban reserve status for the property.
Pshebylo said he received death threats for supporting the creation of an urban reserve 20 years ago at the corner of 20th Street and Avenue P, where the Fire Creek Gas & Grill is located.
Supporting Indigenous businesses and investment is crucial, he said.
Dawson praised Ahtahkakoop for preserving the school, which was built in 1928 and has heritage value, according to city hall. Saskatoon Heritage Society president Lenore Swystun said the organization is happy to see the school building repurposed.