ST. CATHARINES - Groundbreaking for the Niagara Health System's new health-care complex and Walker Family Cancer Centre took place today when Jim Bradley, MPP for St. Catharines, joined hospital officials, community members, fundraising volunteers and health-care partners at the site for the official ceremony.
The ground was officially broken by It's Our Time fundraising campaign patient heroes on four excavators driven by operators from Walker Industries, Matt's Excavating, Rankin Construction and PCL Constructors.
PCL, the constructor for the project, intends to maximize the use of local sub-trades and has indicated that the majority of the on-site labour will go to trades persons in the Golden Horseshoe Area.
PCL will be calling for tenders from pre-qualified sub contractors for the project. The majority of tendering activity will take place in early 2010. Firm commitments for portions of the work have already been made during the proposal stage of the project to subcontractors who participated in developing the lump sum construction cost.
Construction of the new facility will be completed by the end of 2012, which means the new health-care complex will open its doors to patients in 2013.
To be located at First Street and Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines, the new health-care complex project will provide a sizeable boost to the regional and Ontario economies during construction by directly and indirectly supporting and creating approximately 5,400 jobs, many of which will be in the Niagara region. At the peak of construction activity, about 1,000 workers are expected on the site daily. Approximately 200 new health-care jobs will be created once the facility opens to support the new regional services in cancer, cardiac and mental health disease.
The new health-care complex will be approximately 970,000 square feet and will be built on a 32-acre section of the 40-acre site in St. Catharines. It will be environmentally friendly and has been designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Environmental features include energy efficient lighting, cooling and heating, which will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The 375-bed replacement facility for the aging St. Catharines General and Ontario Street sites of the NHS will offer acute and critical inpatient services, surgical, emergency and ambulatory services available under one roof for the residents of St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara-on-the Lake and the area. The facility will feature 80 per cent single patient rooms, the most available in a community hospital in Ontario.
Plenary Health Niagara's team includes Plenary Group, Borealis Infrastructure, PCL Constructors Canada Inc., Bregman + Hamann Architects, Silver Thomas Hanley Architects, and Johnson Controls. Long-term debt financing is provided through the private placement market and arranged by TD Securities Inc., RBC Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets. The lead long term lenders were Sun Life Financial and The Great-West Life Assurance Company and others that included Industrial Alliance and Bimcor. Société Générale, TD Bank and Bank of Montreal provided construction financing for the project.
Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will work with the Niagara Health System to build the new health-care complex, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable.
Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca or www.niagarahealth.on.ca/construction/newcomplex for more information.
Contacts:
Jessica Hooker
Infrastructure Ontario
416-327-5325
Mike Marasco
Plenary Health
604-897-6933
Amy Tang
Minister's Office
Energy and Infrastructure
416-327-6747
Caroline Bourque-Wiley
Niagara Health System
905-378-4647 x 43113
Quotes
George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure
“Reaching this milestone has been the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication from everyone at the Niagara Health System and in the local communities. This new health-care complex shows our government's commitment to delivering a modern healthcare facility that this community needs and deserves.”
Debbie Sevenpifer, President and CEO, Niagara Health System
“We had a dream, a vision that would see a new health-care facility to replace two very outdated facilities in St Catharines and bring new, regional health-care services closer to home in Niagara, to benefit all Niagarans. Some believed this day would never come, but it has and it is very real. To everyone who has supported the project along the journey, a very sincere and heartfelt thank you on behalf of the patients and families we serve.”
David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
“I'm delighted to participate in this tremendous milestone with the Niagara Health System and its partners. This new health-care complex is an essential part of our government's commitment to renew hospitals. It will provide a range of state-of-the art medical services and further our strategy to lower wait times and improve access to care for the people in Niagara region.”
Jim Bradley, Member of Provincial Parliament, St. Catharines
“I am pleased to see construction underway on our new state-of-the-art hospital. This project is generating thousands of jobs in our community and demonstrates our government's commitment to provide resources and facilities to serve the health care needs of Niagarans.”
Betty Lou Souter, Chair, Niagara Health System Board of Trustees
“Together we share in a bright and promising new era for healthcare in Niagara. On behalf of my friends and colleagues on the Niagara Health System Board of Trustees, I want to thank everyone who believed in this project and helped make it happen. This is our legacy - a legacy that will enable a healthier and more prosperous community for our children, our grandchildren and for generations to come.”
Mike Marasco, Plenary Health CEO
“I am thrilled to be part of this historic day for the Niagara Region. Our team looks forward to working with our partners at the Niagara Health System over the next 34 years to build and maintain a state-of-the art hospital and cancer centre that will be built not only for today, but for generations to come.”
Terrence Sullivan, President and CEO, Cancer Care Ontario
"The Walker Family Cancer Centre brings cancer care closer to home for the patients in this region. By working hand-in-hand with cancer partners across the region, this new Centre will have a significant impact on improving access, reducing wait times for cancer diagnosis and treatment.”
Tom Closson, President and CEO, Ontario Hospital Association
“The Ontario Hospital Association congratulates the Niagara Health System and all project partners for making the construction of a state-of-the-art health-care facility in St. Catharines -- one that will improve working conditions, improve operating efficiency and, most importantly, improve patient outcomes - a reality.”
Walter Sendzik, CEO, St. Catharines - Thorold Chamber of Commerce
“The economic impact of the new state-of-the-art health-care complex cannot be underestimated. This project will generate jobs - both short and long term, and just as importantly, it positions our community as a place for businesses to grow and invest. As a vital part of the Paths to Prosperity Plan, the construction of this facility is key to our future prosperity as a community.”
Karin Sheldrick, General Manager, Niagara Construction Association
“I'm pleased to acknowledge this significant achievement. Our member companies and their local employees are proud to be involved in a project that is so vital to the future of our community.”
Brian McMullan, Mayor of St. Catharines
“While the staff, physicians and volunteers at the St. Catharines General and Ontario Street sites of the Niagara Health System have certainly served the City of St. Catharines with exemplary care, it's far beyond time to replace these aging buildings with an updated facility and on behalf of the City of St. Catharines I'm certainly looking forward to when we open the doors in 2013.”
Gary Burroughs, Lord Mayor, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
“On behalf of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake we are certainly thrilled to receive the best quality in acute care services at the new facility, in addition to our Primary Health Care clinic at the Niagara Health System's Niagara-on-the-Lake Site. We're pleased to be a part of the advancement of care here in Niagara and look forward to participating in the construction milestones as they unfold over the next four years.”
Henry D'Angela, Mayor of Thorold
“While a hospital is a place none of us wish to be, the inevitable reality is that we all have had our lives shaped in some form or another by these facilities, whether it be in times of birth, sickness or death. While we will cherish these memories of years gone by, we look to the future and the limitless possibilities that will be pioneered by the medical professionals at our new health-care complex.”
Peter Partington, Regional Chair, Region of Niagara
“For the first time in Niagara we will have access to new health-care services right here in our own backyard, and the ability to visit our loved ones in times of need without the hassle of traveling the QEW to Hamilton, Toronto or beyond for services we deserve. While we are very excited about the patient care benefits of the new facility, the fact that the project will be a major catalyst for the Niagara economy and create thousands of jobs is truly appreciated during these difficult economic times. This is a huge win for Niagara!”
Paul Leon, Past Chair, Board of Trustees 2002 - 2006 Niagara Health System
“Today evidences in a most compelling and dramatic fashion the commitment the NHS has in delivering the highest quality of patient care for our community. Every one of our health-care campuses in Niagara will resonate with and be re-energized by this new state-of-the-art facility. Niagarans you have made this day a reality! As a long-standing, and one of the first advocates for this project, I sincerely thank each and every one of you. This hospital would not have been possible without your support.”
Gloria Kain, Chief Planning and Development Officer, Niagara Health System
“For years the number one question I've been asked in relation to this project is when is it happening? I am so thrilled now to tell people that we've started construction! It's happening! We are confident that we have selected the best partner in Plenary Health Niagara to produce this project on time and on budget, with the best possible leaders in health-care design. We will work side by side with Plenary Health until we open the doors to patients in early 2013 and for 30 years beyond as they maintain the facility to best practice standards.”
Dr. Brian Findlay, Chief of Oncology, Niagara Health System
“Ever since we established the cancer program in St. Catharines in 1985, I've dreamed of having a regional cancer center in Niagara, where radiation treatment could be given along with the chemotherapy, supportive care and clinical trials programs we currently have. With the Walker Family Cancer Centre, we will finally have such an important and needed comprehensive cancer care program. Our patients will no longer have to suffer the added burden of traveling daily to Hamilton to receive their radiation treatment.”
Dr. Joanna Hope, Interim Chief of Staff, Niagara Health System
“This new facility is about investing in the future - a future that means an incredible ability to attract a new generation of doctors, nurses and health-care professionals - who are looking to graduate then locate and practice in healthcare environments where they have the tools, technology, facilities and colleagues to do the best that they can to help heal, cure and support their patients and their patients families.”
Mena Difelice, Nurse, St. Catharines General Site, Niagara Health System
“As a nurse providing care in our St. Catharines General Site I can certainly attest to the fact our facilities are of an older generation in St. Catharines. We cannot wait to experience the positive work environment to be offered at the new health-care complex. We want to move in now!”