By Jamie Crawford-Ritchie

In 2005, Infrastructure Ontario was tasked with helping to tackle the infrastructure deficit in Ontario. Every year we work with our partners to modernize Ontario’s hospitals and improve Ontarians’ access to healthcare across the province. This year was no different. Thanks to the support of our health care partners we have been able to help provide the people of Ontario with new emergency rooms, cancer treatment centers, hospices, operating rooms and more. Additionally, we are helping hospitals in communities across the province to improve wait times, increase access to important health care services and bring patient care closer to home.

Modern hospitals can provide: more automated facilities, modern diagnostic equipment, expanded emergency services, updated infectious disease containment systems and more. Prior to Infrastructure Ontario’s inception, the average age of an Ontario hospital was 42 years! Today, modernizing hospitals in Ontario to improve access to healthcare in the province is an important part of what we do. The past year brought with it celebrations of major milestones for hospitals across Ontario, such as: Construction Milestones

Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital

In October, construction began on Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital. This is the first hospital to be built in the city of Vaughan, and the first new hospital to be built in York Region in the last 30 years. Once completed, the new hospital will include: A state-of-the-art emergency department, modern surgical services and operating rooms, advanced diagnostic imaging, specialized ambulatory clinics and intensive care beds and approximately 90 per cent single occupancy acute-care patient rooms for infection prevention and control. It will also be the first hospital in Canada to feature fully integrated “smart” technology, which features systems and medical devices that can speak directly to one another to maximize information exchange.

Etobicoke General Hospital

In May, construction began on the new Etobicoke General Hospital Phase 1 Patient Tower. The project, involving the construction of a new four-storey wing, will add approximately 250,000 square feet of space to the existing facility and house the services most urgently needed by the Etobicoke community.

Milton District Hospital

In June, Milton District Hospital reached its highest point of construction, a major construction milestone, also known as a “topping-off”. Through this expansion, patients in Milton will benefit from expanded emergency and surgical services, medical and surgical inpatient units, critical care, maternal newborn, diagnostic imaging and support services.

Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness

In October, the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness reached substantial completion. The new facility, located in Brampton, will house a number of clinical services such as: urgent care, diagnostic imaging services, mental health programs and medical/surgical services focusing on chronic disease management. The building will be open to patients in February 2017 and be fully operational in April 2017.

Procurement Milestones

CAMH Phase 1C Redevelopment

In February, Infrastructure Ontario and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) issued a request for proposal for the CAMH Phase 1C redevelopment project. This project will see the construction of two modern hospital buildings along Queen Street West in Toronto that will integrate innovative mental health treatment, research and education facilities with retail spaces, parks and the surrounding neighbourhood.

Groves Memorial Hospital

In June, Infrastructure Ontario and Groves Memorial Community Hospital issued a request for proposal to design, build and finance a new hospital in Aboyne, Ontario. This new hospital will replace the existing Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus.

Michael Garron Hospital (Formerly Toronto East General Hospital)

In June, Infrastructure Ontario along with Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital), a division of Toronto East Health Network, began the competitive bidding process and issued a request for qualification for a team to design, build and finance the new patient care tower project at the hospital. The project involves the construction of a new eight-story patient care tower and three-story podium, as well as demolition and selective renovations to the existing facility. Michael Garron Hospital’s redevelopment project will enable the delivery of efficient, accessible, high-quality patient care, while replacing some of the oldest spaces within the hospital.

West Park Healthcare Centre

In September, Infrastructure Ontario and West Park Healthcare Centre issued a request for qualifications for a team to design, build, finance and maintain the hospital redevelopment project in Toronto. This is the first step in a competitive bidding process and the next step on the path towards the construction of a new hospital building, providing inpatient, outpatient and outreach services to meet future demands for rehabilitative health care in Ontario.

Jamie Crawford-Ritchie is a Communications Associate at Infrastructure Ontario.