Ontario investing $95M for new Collingwood hospital

The Ford government announced a $95 million investment to build a new Collingwood General and Marine Hospital.

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Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones braved a snowstorm to deliver the news on Thursday, alongside Simcoe Grey MPP Brian Saunderson.

“It’s why I’m wearing my Christmas tie,” Saunderson joked.

Jones called the move “the best solution for the community,” referring to years of deliberation between redeveloping the current site or moving to a new location.

The new facility will be built on 32 acres of land along Poplar Sideroad, with the exact location yet to be confirmed.

State-of-the-Art Facility

The new hospital will significantly enhance health care services in the region, with capacity increasing to 132 private inpatient beds, up from 84 beds.

It will also expand intensive care, emergency, and diagnostic services, while enhancing infection prevention and control measures.

The new location will be nearly four-times larger than the existing facility, and will create the need to double the workforce, with efforts focusing on training the next generation of health care providers.

Currently, the Collingwood hospital serves 74,000 residents and 3.5 million annual visitors from surrounding communities, including Wasaga Beach, Clearview, and the Blue Mountains.

Long-Term Vision

Simcoe County has pledged $20 million toward the new hospital, but the total cost of the project remains undetermined as construction contracts are still years away from being tendered.

The project is expected to break ground in 2028, with completion anticipated by 2033.

As for the current hospital site, Michael Lacroix, CEO of Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, said, work would be done to decide the best course of action.

“But we do have some time to figure that out,” he added.