Newfoundland and Labrador to bring first MRI to Grand Falls-Windsor by 2028

Newfoundland and Labrador is moving ahead with plans to bring magnetic resonance imaging services to Grand Falls-Windsor for the first time, with a new scanner expected to be operational in 2028 at the Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre.

Premier Tony Wakeham announced the project on Sept. 29, saying work on the infrastructure required to accommodate the scanner has begun. The new MRI is part of a $7 million investment through Budget 2026 to expand MRI services across the province.

Wakeham made the announcement at the health centre in Grand Falls-Windsor, where he was joined by Chris Tibbs, minister of social supports and well-being and MHA for Grand Falls-Windsor–Buchans, and Pleaman Forsey, minister of forestry, agriculture and lands and MHA for Exploits.

The province said the project fulfills a commitment Wakeham made during the 2025 election campaign to bring an MRI to Grand Falls-Windsor as part of a plan to improve access to services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

We made a commitment to the people of Central Newfoundland that we would bring an MRI to Grand Falls-Windsor, and today we are delivering on that commitment. For too long, people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador have had to travel significant distances to access services that should be available closer to home. We are changing that. This MRI will strengthen health care in Central Newfoundland, improve access to important diagnostic services and make a real difference for patients and families throughout the region. This is what better health care for all of us looks like.Premier Tony Wakeham

Once the new scanners are implemented in Grand Falls-Windsor and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the province will move forward with two more new MRIs in other areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. The province did not say where those two additional scanners would be located.

For residents throughout Central Newfoundland, the province said the new MRI will mean greater access to diagnostic services closer to home, reducing the need for patients and families to travel elsewhere in the province for care.

This is a major investment in health care for Grand Falls-Windsor and for communities throughout Central Newfoundland. We advocated for this MRI because we heard directly from residents about the need for better access to diagnostic services closer to home. Our government listened, made the commitment and is now delivering. I am incredibly proud to see this important project moving forward for the people I represent and for the entire region.Chris Tibbs, minister of social supports and well-being and MHA for Grand Falls-Windsor–Buchans

The province also said it is committed to strengthening recruitment and retention for MRI technologists through the development of financial supports for students and employees to complete specialized MRI training.

MRI technology provides detailed images of the body's tissues and organs. Scans are performed by specially trained technologists and are commonly used to examine and diagnose soft tissue and joint injuries, heart conditions, abdominal and pelvic conditions, brain, neck and spinal cord injuries, and tumours and other pathological conditions.

The investment is part of the province's $5.4 billion investment in better health care in 2026-27, which includes spending on health care professionals, facilities, equipment and services throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Work on the infrastructure required to accommodate the new scanner has begun, and the MRI is expected to be operational in 2028.