Back to the drawing board with plans for new hospital build

BCHS must submit alternative development plans to Ministry by August 1st if it wants to be considered in 2025 budget funding

By Casandra Turnbull

Bonnie Hamm, President & CEO of the BCHS was before the Administration and Operations Committee this week to present updated plans for redeveloping our community hospitals – the Brantford General and the Willett. She asked for council’s support as the BCHS prepares to submit an updated redevelopment plan to the Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI) and Ministry of Health (MOH) by August 1, 2024 The BCHS is lobbying for a new hospital, but their original plans submitted to the MOH and MOI in October

2023 have not received approval. Hamm explained the BCHS received feedback from both ministries in late April and heard their original plan does not lend itself to the current market due to capacity restraints in the construction industry, lack of available contractors and shortages in the material supply chain.

“We are taking these things away and trying to address them,” said Hamm.

Now BCHS officials are working on an alternative development plan that incorporates the ministries’ feedback and this new plan will be submitted by August 1st , 2024 on time for potential funding approval in the 2025 budget.

So, what does the new plan look like?

The Ministry of Health has stipulated on many occasions that it will not support a new hospital built on greenfield (new) land, therefore the BCHS is restricted to using their existing parcel of land to rebuild Their early planning proposal outlines a single development of a 1.4 million square foot facility

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While the existing building will see major renovations and upgrades, with the emergency room department renovations are currently underway, a completely new hospital structure is being proposed across the street from the current BGH, in the parking lot off Terrace Hill Street as depicted in the purple shaded area of the picture to the left.