Lakeridge Health Oshawa

A New Hospital in Oshawa

Lakeridge Health - Phase 1 Proposal

Proposal Documents

Lakeridge Health Phase 1 Bid Submission: Report
January 31 2022: Capital Hill Group Presentation to Council
Council Report CNCL 21-84: Update on New Lakeridge Health Hospital Process
Development Services Committee Report DS-19-150: New Lakeridge Health Hospital - Preferred Location in the Northerly Portion of Oshawa's Major Urban Area

Submission Overview

Proposed Site 1:

Location: Southwest corner of Simcoe St N. and Britannia Ave. W.
Area: 25.8 ha (63.8 acres)
Ownership: Ontario Tech University

Proposed Site 2:

Location: Northeast corner of the intersection of Simcoe St. N. and Highway 407 East
Area: 24.3 ha (60 acres)
Ownership: Province of Ontario as represented by the Ministry of Transportation

Map view of the site

Detailed information about the sites can be found in the Bid Submission Report.

As part of the phase one proposal for a new hospital in Durham Region, two sites in north Oshawa were recommended as ideal locations as they:

Are centrally located within the Region, located within an Urban Area and located within a designated future growth area as defined in the Durham Regional Official Plan
Conform with the Provincial Policy Statement and Provincial Growth Plan concerning suitable areas for a hospital development
Are easily accessible to public transportation, Highway 407 East, Oshawa Executive Airport and active transportation networks
Are easily accessible to post-secondary institutions that maximize research, innovation and technology through collaborations and partnerships
Are being or planned to be fully serviced with all utilities and broadband
Provide direct access to key amenities including parks, Fire Station Number six and other businesses

Mayor Carter and Council have advocated for a new Lakeridge Health acute care hospital to be located in north Oshawa. The City will continue to advocate that the two City sites are the two best sites in the Durham Region for a new Lakeridge Health Acute Care Hospital with a Level II Trauma Centre.

Site Selection Process for a Proposed New Hospital

Lakeridge Health's proposed development of a new hospital in Durham Region was a major component of its Master Plan, which served as a roadmap for the future of health care delivery in Durham Region.

Lakeridge Health's Board of Trustees determined that an important step forward is launching the process was to identify and protect a site for a proposed new hospital. This process was facilitated by an Independent Expert Panel and was completed by the end of 2021. The R.F.P. has now closed. To learn more, visit Lakeridge's Site Selection Process webpage. Watch the Community Town Hall on Facebook Live that took place on Wednesday, July 28.

Additional Information

Lakeridge Health's Master Plan focused on providing quality healthcare across Durham Region and the development and growth of its health service network. The Master Plan included plans for a new comprehensive acute care hospital in Durham, which will be needed to sustain community health, deliver quality care, improve the health system for future generations and stimulate additional economic prosperity.

On September 9, 2019, City Council endorsed the northerly portion of Oshawa's Major Urban Area as the preferred location for the future site of the new Lakeridge Health acute care hospital in Durham Region (DS-19-150). This area is the best positioned in region given:

Oshawa is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Durham.
The proposed site is centrally located for all Durham municipalities.
Oshawa is home to three major post-secondary institutions: Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham, and Durham College.
Oshawa's proposed site will be located near Highway 407.
Oshawa's executive airport will be located within a close proximity.
Oshawa will be developing a number of neighbourhoods located in the north: Northwood Business Park, South Columbus Industrial Area, Windfields Main Central Area and Kedron Part II.

Oshawa has witnessed the transformation of it's local economy over the last decade and is at the point where healthcare is now our largest economic sector. The healthcare sector accounts for over 11,000 jobs in Oshawa and represents 18% of the City's employment base. This sector has grown by approximately 45% over the past decade. The City was excited to build upon this momentum and help Lakeridge achieve its vision of a life science cluster that supports an enviable quality of live, leverages partnerships with academic and business communities and makes a significant contribution to the local economy.

On September 27, 2021 City Council endorsed the following recommendations:

That, pursuant to Report CNCL-21-84 dated September 22, 2021, City Council endorse site one (Southwest corner of Simcoe St. N. and Britannia Ave. W.) and site 2 (Northeast corner of the intersection of Simcoe St. N. and Highway 407 East) as the City's preferred locations for the future site of the proposed new Lakeridge Health acute care hospital in Durham Region.
That City staff be directed to submit the sites outlined in Report CNCL-21-84 in response to Lakeridge Health's Proposal Call for the Identification of a Site for a Proposed New Hospital in Durham Region which was issued on September 21, 2021.

Additional information is contained in the links below:

Background

Lakeridge Health is Durham Region's primary public acute care provider with a comprehensive range of healthcare services. There are a total of 17 locations in Durham Region comprised of a variety of facilities (some sharing the same location), including five hospitals (one each in Ajax, Bowmanville, Oshawa, Port Perry and Whitby), four emergency departments, a residential treatment centre and over 12 community healthcare locations. Attachment 1 is a map showing the location of the existing Lakeridge Health hospital sites in Durham Region.

The Lakeridge Health Oshawa Hospital (the “Oshawa Hospital”) is located at 1 Hospital Crt. to the north of the Downtown Oshawa Urban Growth Centre and is a full-service community hospital providing high-quality care to Durham residents. The Oshawa Hospital is also home to the world-class R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre and the Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network (L.H.E.A.R.N.). The L.H.E.A.R.N. centre was developed in partnership with the Queen's University Bowmanville-Oshawa Lakeridge (Q.B.O.L.) teaching program and houses Q.B.O.L. administrative offices, meeting rooms used for academic teaching, a library and a resident lounge. L.H.E.A.R.N. also includes partnerships with Durham College, Ontario Tech and Trent, providing hands-on learning to students under the guidance of expert instructors across a wide range of health disciplines.

Lakeridge Health Master Program Master Plan

Lakeridge Health developed a Master Program and Master Plan to help inform how and where healthcare services will be delivered over the next 20 years. These serve as a roadmap for the future of healthcare in Durham and ensure that community needs are met.

The Lakeridge Health Master Program (the “Master Program”) identifies the acute care programs and services that are required to meet the needs of the community as well as where those services should be located. The Master Program will consider anticipated changes to communities across Durham, and determine healthcare service requirements over the next 5, 10 and 20 years.

The Lakeridge Health Master Plan (the “Master Plan”) builds on information identified in the Master Program, by creating a blueprint for construction and development of the facilities required to deliver programs and services. The goal of the Master Plan is for Lakeridge Health to be patient focused, community informed and reflect Durham's growing population. This includes evaluating existing buildings, developing long-term strategies and outlining future developments, including the development of a new comprehensive acute care hospital in Durham. The Master Plan was approved by Lakeridge Health's Board of Directors and is intended to be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (M.H.L.C.) in the near future. The Master Plan is not available to the public at this time. However, it is anticipated that the City will receive a copy of the Master Plan once it has been approved by the M.H.L.C.

Why Choose Oshawa?

An acute care hospital located in the northerly portion of Oshawa's Major Urban Area would facilitate the future growth of the Lakeridge Health network in a manner that achieves the primary goal of the Master Plan to be patient focused, community informed and reflective of Durham's growing and diverse populations. It would also support the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care's mandate to deliver a sustainable publicly funded health system that is patient-focused, results-driven and integrated.

For its part, the City of Oshawa is wholly supportive of a new acute care hospital in Durham and actively seeks to engage with Lakeridge Health and the Province to ensure that this facility is built in a north Oshawa location. Situating a hospital in north Oshawa's Major Urban Area should be advanced for generally the following reasons:

Oshawa will be one of the fastest growing municipalities in Durham during the period leading up to 2041. Locating a full service hospital in the northerly portion of Oshawa's Major Urban Area would assist in meeting current and future demands for hospital healthcare in Durham in a location that is at the geographical center of the Region's urban population along the lakeshore, and also address the expansive growth planned for north Oshawa, including in the Windfields, Kedron and Columbus communities.
The northerly portion of Oshawa's Major Urban Area is in the geographic center of the urban area of Durham Region's five lakeshore municipalities, optimizing accessibility and connectivity – key objectives in the Master Plan.
Oshawa is the home of the main campuses in Durham of the Region's three major post-secondary educational institutions: Durham College, Ontario Tech and Trent University. Both the main campuses of Durham College and Ontario Tech are located in the City's northern urban area. These institutions have a close working relationship with Lakeridge Health, and a new acute care hospital in proximity to these institutions optimizes opportunities for collaboration, experiential learning, and cross-functional synergies across a wide variety of disciplines.
Oshawa's northern urban area has a good transportation network including the Highway 407 East corridor and arterial roads such as Simcoe St. N.. There is an existing Highway 407 East interchange at Simcoe St. N. and a future interchange planned at Highway 407 East and Thornton Rd. N. Simcoe St. functions as the Region's primary north-south transit spine with the most frequent north-south service, and is identified in the Region's and Metrolinx's Regional Transportation Plans for future Rapid Transit service.
The Oshawa Executive Airport is ideally situated in proximity to Oshawa's northern urban area, offering expeditious access to airlift opportunities unmatched by any other Durham municipality, including MedEvac Canada and Ornge to provide patient transport services.
The Windfields Main Central Area is a designated Regional Centre that centrally anchors the northerly portion of the City's Major Urban Area, ensuring proximity to planned commercial development in excess of 77,850 square metres (838,000 sq. ft.).
The City's northern urban area has various sites that would be suitable for a new acute care hospital, such as:
- The Northwood Business Park
- The South Columbus Industrial Area
- The main campuses of Durham College and Ontario Tech
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (M.T.O.) currently has significant land holdings along the Highway 407 East corridor within the South Columbus Industrial Area. In the event that this area is identified as the preferred location to accommodate the new Lakeridge Health acute care hospital, Lakeridge Health stands to benefit from the ability to acquire lands already owned by the Province (as opposed to a private third party) for the development of a hospital.
The lands in north Oshawa are serviced or are serviceable.
The Taunton Health Centre is in north Oshawa.