NIAGARA, ON – Construction of the Niagara Health System’s (NHS) new health-care complex is one step closer with the start of work to prepare the west St. Catharines site earlier this month.  

“This marks an important milestone for the Niagara region,” said Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal David Caplan. “This new hospital is part of the government’s five-year $30- billion plus infrastructure investment representing the biggest investment in health care infrastructure in more than a generation.” 

“This is a clear sign of our government’s commitment to upgrade and modernize health care,” said George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. “Once built, this new hospital will mean Niagara-area residents will have better access to important emergency services.”  

Work on the site includes: 

  • Planting of shrubs and trees around the perimeter of the Francis Creek Drainage Canal to separate the hospital from the railroad tracks, giving the trees a few years to mature and develop in anticipation of the building; 
  • Creation of an enhanced fish habitat and spawning ground in the Francis Creek Drainage Canal; 
  • Promotional fencing for the It’s Our Time fundraising campaign to be located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and First Street; 

Additional preparatory work will include development of tender documents for the First Street road improvements. 

This preparation work will satisfy the requirements of the City of St. Catharines and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in advance of the development of the site. 

“This hospital will provide a tremendous opportunity to improve health care in the Niagara region,” said Jim Bradley, MPP for St. Catharines.  “Our government is pleased to be bringing better healthcare to our community.” 

“The Niagara Region deserves the very best health-care facilities we can offer. It’s exciting to be moving forward with the site preparation work for this new hospital that will include the Walker Family Cancer Centre that will provide cancer care services that are so desperately needed in this area,” said Kim Craitor, MPP for Niagara Falls. “I know from first hand experience that taking this important step will make life easier for the people of Niagara so they don’t have to travel to Toronto and Hamilton for necessary medical treatment.” 

“We were pleased to award the contract for this work to Merit Contractors Niagara, the successful bidder, and are eager to get this work completed before construction begins,” says NHS Chief Planning and Development Officer Gloria Kain.  

“Beginning preparation work on the site of the new health-care complex signals that we are yet another step closer to beginning construction,” said NHS President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer. “We are grateful for the commitment shown to the new hospital by all of our civic partners throughout the region. We will continue to work collaboratively with all of our partners on this exciting project in order to build a better health-care system and a better Niagara.”  

Once completed, the facility will house new regional services, including cardiac catheterization, radiation treatment for cancer patients and 53 new longer-term mental health beds. The addition of these regional services will ensure closer-to-home access to advanced-level care for the more than 434,000 residents across the Niagara region. 

The health-care complex will also house a 375-bed community hospital to serve St. Catharines, Thorold, Niagara-on-the-Lake and surrounding communities with a full range of acute/critical care, surgical, emergency, longer-term mental health and ambulatory services.  The new 850,000 square-foot health-care complex will be built on a 32-acre section of the 40-acre site in St. Catharines and replace two aging, existing community hospitals.  

“To say that we are eagerly awaiting the substantial completion of the hospital in 2011 is an understatement,” said NHS Board of Trustees Chair Betty Lou Souter. “When the project is completed, Niagara will be home to one of the most up-to-date hospitals in the province, and we will finally have the infrastructure to care for and treat the unique health needs of the Niagara region and bring care closer to home for patients across the region.”  

Groundbreaking for construction of the new health-care complex is scheduled to occur in fall 2008.  

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will work with the Niagara Health System to build the new hospital, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province’s larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects—ensuring they are built on time and on budget. 

This project is guided by principles outlined in the Province’s Building a Better Tomorrow framework, which ensures public ownership of core assets such as hospitals, schools, and water and wastewater facilities. 

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca  for more information.  

Contacts:

Paulette den Elzen

Infrastructure Ontario
416-327-5764

Amy Tang

Minister’s Office
Public Infrastructure and Renewal
416-325-4048

Caroline Bourque-Wiley 

Niagara Health System 
905-378-4647 x 43113 

 

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