New Far North hospital moves closer to being built after $1.8B design, build contract awarded

Far North hospital gets finally funding (June) After a long wait, the federal and provincial governments have committed funds to replace the Weeneebayko General Hospital.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

The WAHA redevelopment project is being delivered using a public-private partnership (P3) design build finance (DBF) approach, “which fosters collaborative development of project requirements, design, pricing and risk management,” said Infrastructure Ontario officials in a news release last week.

The $1.8 billion contract has been awarded to Pomerleau Health Partners with Kasian Architects Ontario Inc. and Bertrand Wheeler Architecture Inc. taking the lead on designing the facility, Pomerleau Inc. responsible for its construction and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP handling the project’s financing.

"We are honored to be selected to bring much-needed and improved healthcare facilities for WAHA and all the communities it serves along the James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts," said Philippe Adam, Pomerleau’s president and CEO, in a news release.

"We bring decades of experience in delivering complex and revitalizing healthcare projects. We look forward to working together with WAHA, Infrastructure Ontario, and the local Indigenous communities to deliver another successful project."

Infrastructure Ontario CEO Michael Lindsay called the project “one-of-a-kind” and said it will transform healthcare in the north.

"This milestone for the WAHA Redevelopment Project marks the close of procurement for our first progressive P3 DBF project,” he said in a news release.

“As the next phase of construction kicks off, we're committed to working with communities and stakeholders to get critical healthcare infrastructure like this project built."

The new state-of-the-art facility is set to replace the Weeneebayko General Hospital on Moose Factory Island that was originally built in 1950 to sequester tuberculosis patients. Local health officials have said the facility is in a state of disrepair – calling it one of the worst hospitals in the country.

The WAHA redevelopment project is continuing to move forward after concerns early in the year that the project would be further delayed or permanently shelved after a more than a billion dollars funding commitment from the Government of Canada was absent from the federal budget.

However, in June, the feds committed $1.2 billion to help build a new hospital complex on the James Bay Coast, easing the fears of area residents that construction would not begin this year.

WAHA officials said Pomerleau has begun site work on the property, with full construction planned to begin this fall.

Once completed, the approximately 419,311 square-feet healthcare campus will include:

"We are all committed to creating the most state-of-the-art regional healthcare campus possible and we're excited to reach this milestone in our redevelopment project," said WAHA president Lynne Innes.

"Our entire organization is eager to begin the next phase of construction which will drive us forward in ensuring the health and well-being of people in our region."

The construction of the campus is expected to be completed in 2030 with patient occupancy planned the same year.

“(This) important milestone in Weeneebayko Area Health Authority’s redevelopment marks an important step forward in ensuring those living in the Western James Bay and Hudson Bay Coast areas can access high-quality care, in their community, for years to come,” said Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Health Sylvia Jones.

There are plans in place to redevelop the old hospital on Moose Factory Island into an ambulatory care centre.

More information on the WAHA redevelopment project can be found on its social media page.