VIDEO: Peel Memorial Centre marks 100-year legacy as hospital upgrades plan for ‘bold future’

The Peel Memorial Centre is celebrating 100 years of health care as early construction on upgrades are set to start this year that will expand health care capacity in Brampton.

The dream of Peel Memorial dates back to 1910 when a local women’s group made it their mission to bring health care to the community, but it wasn’t until the end of the First World War when local veterans took up the cause that the dream started to become a reality.

First opening its doors on Feb. 2, 2025, the first Peel Memorial Centre had just 12 beds and a nursery, and was in the estate home of William Elliot – a farmer and politician who represented Peel in the House of Commons from 1878 to 1882.

Now more than 100 years later, the William Osler Health System is celebrating Peel Memorial’s important past while pushing ahead with upgrades that include a new 24/7 emergency department, 250 inpatient beds with space for more beds in the future, rehabilitation and complex continuing care services, a cancer centre, enhanced mental health and addictions services among others.

A site plan filed to the City by HOK Architects Corporation (HOK) has shown what the Peel Memorial Centre could look like once it is upgraded with a new 24-hour Emergency Department.

“Peel Memorial has been at the heart of our community for a century, evolving with compassion and innovation to meet the needs of our growing region,” said Osler CEO Dr. Frank Martino in a post on social media. “As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, I’m excited for the next chapter in its proud legacy.”

Peel Memorial came under the Osler umbrella in 1999 and the current facility opened in 2017, but the centre is again slated for an overhaul that will cost around $1 billion.

The Peel Archives have released a video showing the transformation of the new hospital wing built in 1949 after hitting 130 per cent capacity.

Premier Doug Ford and the Conservative government have pledged over $21 million to the project while the city’s portion of the Peel Memorial upgrades and a new cancer centre coming to Brampton Civic Hospital will cost some $125 million.

Martino says “early construction” on the upgrades will begin this year “bringing a second Emergency Department, more inpatient beds across our health system, and new and enhanced outpatient clinics to Brampton.”

“The transformation of Peel Memorial will increase our community’s health care capacity for decades to come,” he said in a release.

Osler has launched the Peel Memorial 100: Proud Past. Bold Future campaign to “honour the many people and stories that shaped the hospital’s remarkable history.”

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is expected to issue a proclamation this week marking the 100 year anniversary of Peel Memorial, and the city hall clock tower will be lit up in blue and white to mark the occasion.

Osler is also asking residents to share their stories for the 100th anniversary milestone as the health system celebrates the “staff, physicians, volunteers, and community members who have shaped Peel Memorial.”

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