Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government has announced more than $22 million to plan new hospitals in Brantford and Waterloo.
Funding includes an additional $12.5 million for a new Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) hospital and $10 million to support planning for a new acute-care facility under the Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN).
Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced the investments Monday, saying the province is making “historic investments” to modernize health care and connect more Ontarians to care close to home.
“By investing to build a brand-new Brant Community Healthcare System and Waterloo Regional Health Network hospital, we are making it faster and easier for more people and their families to access world-class care in their community, for generations to come,” Jones said.
The new hospital in Brantford will serve Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River and surrounding communities. It is expected to expand patient capacity, improve emergency and inpatient services, and reduce wait times across multiple areas of care.
Plans include:
- inpatient beds to meet future demand
- expanded emergency, intensive care and diagnostic services
- maternal, newborn and pediatric programs
- mental health and addictions treatment, including a specialized emergency unit
- surgical and rehabilitation services
- dialysis and cancer care clinics
“We are sincerely appreciative of this new $12.5-million planning grant from the Ministry of Health,” said Brant Community Healthcare System president and CEO Bonnie Camm. “This funding allows us to start the detailed work to bring a shared vision to a working concept—one that is reflective of the growing health-care needs of this area.”
Planning work will determine the facility’s final bed count, layout and construction timeline, with a schedule to be set once the project is tendered and awarded.
In Waterloo, the $10-million builds on a previous $5-million announcement for early-stage planning of a new acute-care hospital. The new WRHN site will be located on University of Waterloo lands west of Bearinger Road and Hagey Boulevard.
The hospital is designed to accommodate a growing regional population and will include:
- expanded critical and emergency care
- cardiac clinics under the Regional Cardiac Care Centre
- enhanced diagnostic imaging and surgical capacity
- maternal and pediatric services
Modernized inpatient units
WRHN president and CEO Ron Gagnon said the investment will help ensure the region has the infrastructure to deliver high-quality care for years to come.
“As one of the fastest-growing areas in the province, Waterloo Region requires modern, innovative infrastructure to meet the increasing and evolving needs of the people we serve,” Gagnon said. “This investment will support the planning of our new hospital that will ensure access to high-quality care, support healthier families for generations to come, and strengthen the overall health system in Waterloo-Wellington and beyond.”
The Ministry of Health said it will continue working with both health networks to finalize planning details and move the projects toward construction.
