Special to Ontario Construction News
Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and Lakehead University have announced a partnership to explore the construction of a new hospital at the university’s campus to replace the current Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital that opened in 1922.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford made a stop in Orillia on Friday to announce a $3 million initial planning grant that will be used to determine the size, scope, and exact location of the future hospital, which is expected to serve not only Orillia but a large swath of surrounding Simcoe County and Muskoka.
The premier’s visit came after the release of the 2025 Ontario budget that saw the PC government commit to investing nearly $60 billion over ten years on health infrastructure including building and upgrading more than 50 hospitals across the province.
A parcel of land on the south side of Lakehead’s Orillia campus has been announced as the preferred site to build the new hospital with the university and hospital working on early planning to determine bed counts and overall facility size.
Once planning is complete and a construction tender is awarded, a detailed construction timeline will be announced. The current hospital is a 180-bed acute care facility on Colborne Street West in Orillia.
Provincial officials said the planning grant for OSMH will help lay the groundwork for a redevelopment that will focus on replacing outdated infrastructure on a site expected to be more than double the current hospital’s nine-acre footprint.
When complete, officials said the new hospital will include:
- Modern and improved infrastructure to support increased patient volumes, capacity and programs
- Expanded access to core programs and services including critical care services and inpatient beds
- Increased capacity to meet the community’s future needs and allow more people to connect to care sooner
- Enhanced infection prevention and control measures to ensure the health and safety of all patients.