Ontario Construction News staff writer
The provincial government says it is investing as much as an additional $9 million to support planning for The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus redevelopment.
This commitment is part of the government’s overall investment of $27 billion over the next 10 years for new and expanded province-wide hospital infrastructure
“By investing in the redevelopment of The Ottawa Hospital – Civic Campus, we are protecting what matters most to patients and families in Ottawa and eastern Ontario, Health Minister Christine Elliot said in a statement. “When completed, the new state-of-the-art facility will reflect the high-quality, specialized care that s delivered at this hospital, and will create more capacity and reduce wait times. This project is another example of how our government continues to deliver on our commitment to end hallway health care.”
The hospital unveiled plans in 2018 for its new Civic campus on a 50-acre parcel of land on the Experimental Farm’s eastern edge. The project, with an estimated $2 billion cost, will include nearly four million sq. ft. of floor space and 800 to 900 beds – making it about twice the size of the existing campus. The current schedule calls for the building to be completed in 2026.
The province had previously committed $3 million for preliminary design work. A health ministry spokesperson said the actual number of the “up to” $12 million has deliberately been kept vague, to ensure competitive bidding.
“In order to ensure that the hospital and the ministry receive the best possible value for the investment, the ministry does not release exact costs prior to the awarding of a construction contract as doing so could compromise the competitive bid process and bid results,” the spokesperson told The Ottawa Citizen. “The costs associated with this project will be released publicly, in future once ministry approval to award a construction contract is provided an the contract has been awarded.”