Ontario Construction News staff writer
Bluewater Health has broken ground on a more than $17-million redevelopment of the emergency department and diagnostic imaging facilities at Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital (CEEH) in Petrolia.
The project includes a $14-million construction contract awarded to K&L Construction Ltd. in September and will renovate more than 8,200 square feet of existing hospital space. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2029.
The work will be completed in six phases over approximately 36 to 42 months, allowing the hospital and emergency department to remain operational throughout construction.
The redevelopment will modernize the emergency department and associated clinical and support spaces, as well as upgrade diagnostic imaging facilities, including the X-ray area and associated rooms. Infrastructure improvements will also address aging equipment, including an air-handling unit.
“We are proud to have been selected to partner with Bluewater Health on this important redevelopment,” said Todd Hodgins, president of K&L Construction Ltd. “We understand how important CEEH is to Petrolia and the surrounding community, and our team of experienced staff looks forward to working collaboratively with Bluewater Health to deliver modernized healthcare spaces while carefully managing construction within an active hospital environment.”
The groundbreaking took place during National Rural Health Week, marking the start of construction on a project intended to improve access to hospital services for residents of Petrolia and Central Lambton.
The redevelopment is supported by a provincial investment of more than $17 million and is intended to help Bluewater Health continue serving approximately 131,000 residents across Sarnia-Lambton and surrounding communities.
“Today’s groundbreaking marks an exciting and long-awaited milestone for Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital of Bluewater Health and the rural communities we serve,” said Paula Reaume-Zimmer, Bluewater Health president and CEO. “We are grateful to the Government of Ontario for its significant investment in the future of rural health care, and for recognizing the importance of accessible, high-quality care close to home.”
Bluewater Health Foundation has raised $2.3 million toward a $5-million community fundraising goal for the redevelopment, leaving $2.7 million still to be raised.
“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system, ensuring that more people can connect to convenient hospital care in their community, when they need it,” said Anthony Leardi, parliamentary assistant to the minister of health. “With shovels in the ground at Bluewater Health’s Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital in Petrolia, our government is ensuring families in Lambton County can access world-class care close to home, for generations to come.”
Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia-Lambton, said the redevelopment recognizes the role rural hospitals play in providing local health care.
“Our government recognizes the vital role that hospitals like CEEH play in ensuring people can access quality health care in their own communities,” Bailey said.
The project is part of Ontario’s 10-year, $64-billion hospital capital plan, which includes more than 50 major hospital projects and is expected to add approximately 3,000 hospital beds to the provincial system, on top of 3,500 beds added since 2020.
