Domenic DiLalla (centre left) of Centennial Construction and Contracting with Niagara Health Foundation president and CEO Andrea Scott (far left), It’s Our Future campaign co-chair and Mayor of Niagara Falls Jim Diodati (centre right), and DiLalla’s niece and nephews. Photo credit: Niagara Health Foundation
As it does time and again, Niagara’s private sector has once again stepped up in big way for the public good.
On Thursday, July 28, the Niagara Health Foundation revealed that Domenic DiLalla of Centennial Construction and Contracting committed $2 million toward the new South Niagara hospital It’s Our Future fundraising campaign.
DiLalla represents the project’s sixth “founding donor” to be celebrated by the foundation in recent months, after Spencer Fox of E.S. Fox Ltd., Mark Basciano of Mountainview Homes, Angelo Butera of Panoramic Properties, the Rankin family, and Guery Goyo of Villarboit Group of Companies each pledged between $5 million and $2 million.
“Domenic DiLalla’s longstanding commitment for giving back to the community is admirable. We’re so appreciative of his transformative contribution to the South Niagara Site,” said president and CEO of Niagara Health Lynn Guerriero.
“This generous gift, inspired by the DiLalla family’s personal experience with heart disease, will help ensure future generations of Niagara residents receive high-quality care in the new Cardio-Respiratory Diagnostics Unit.”
Earlier this year, DiLalla, who founded Centennial exactly three decades ago in 1992, underwent quadruple bypass surgery to correct blockage of four blood vessels to the heart, a procedure he is still “re-building his life” from today.
In honour of DiLalla’s generosity, the future South Niagara hospital’s unit specializing in heart and lungs care will be named The DiLalla Family Cardio-Respiratory Diagnostics Unit.
“The best thing you can do is give back to your community, especially for hospitals and healthcare,” said DiLalla, “because it is something that every single person needs at some point in their lifetime, whether it is a loved one, your neighbor, or yourself.”
To date, the South Niagara hospital fundraising campaign has secured over $22 million of its $40 million community goal.
The rest of the $212 million to be raised locally will come from municipal sources and Niagara Health itself. The Niagara Region has already committed $44.5 million to the project. The City of Niagara Falls and Town of Fort Erie are both expected to finalize their commitments in the coming months, with the former projected to contribute around $30 million.
Infrastructure Ontario and Niagara Health invited three previously shortlisted teams to respond to a request for proposal (RFP) to design, build, finance, and maintain the new South Niagara hospital in October 2021.
The successful bidder will be announced this fall, with official ground-breaking set to take place shortly thereafter.
The approximately 1.2 million square foot, 10-storey hospital at the corners of Montrose and Biggar roads in Niagara Falls will feature 469 beds, eight operating suites, and will be Canada’s first WELL-certified healthcare facility. The site will specialize in stroke care, older adult care, and aging and wellness.
Project completion is slated for fall 2026. Total cost is expected to exceed $1 billion.
