Shovels finally hit the dirt for new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital
Published May 2, 2022 at 11:58 am
But even then, the hospital, which is fairly small compared to the more modern ones in Welland and St Catharines, was in desperate need of upgrades.
Ontario governments changed from leader to leader and party to party over the next few decades but the West Lincoln Memorial Hospitals never did get any funding for renovations.
Finally, on Friday (April 29), the ceremonial shovels, all being held by various officials connected to the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby, signaled that the long wait was over. During the next three years, Ellis Don Infrastructure Healthcare will design, build and finance the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital redevelopment project.
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was joined by a handful of officials, including Lincoln Mayor Sandra, Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan, West Lincoln Mayor Dave Blysma and Rob MacIsaac, President and CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences, to make the long-awaited announcement for the neighbourhood.
“This financial close and the ground-breaking of our new West Niagara hospital is historic news for the people and patients of Niagara,” said Oosterhoff.
“I am thankful to have been able to work with many to get the shovels in the ground for this new hospital, and I am excited to see the project unfold over the coming months, as a modern world-class hospital comes to Niagara West.”
The three western Niagara mayors were equally enthusiastic about the long-awaited announcement because even though their ceremonial shovels had pretty ribbons on them, it meant the project was finally a go.
Easton echoed his sentiments, noting, “We are very pleased to see the construction of a new hospital that will benefit the residents of our (three) local communities.”
Infrastructure Ontario has awarded a fixed-price contract of $224 million for the project. The new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital will be constructed behind the existing facility, allowing the hospital to remain operational until the new one is built.
The Ministry of Health funds 90 percent of the new hospital construction costs. The remaining 10 percent, as well as 100 percent of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) costs, are covered by the local share campaign, which is set at $50 million.