Interior concept illustration of the new Niagara Falls hospital. Photo credit: Niagara Health
Only a few months away from construction start, the South Niagara Hospital project has received yet another major private-sector donation.
On Thursday, April 6, the Niagara Health Foundation announced that renowned philanthropist and business mogul Jim Pattison has pledged $5 million toward Niagara Falls’ new mega-hospital at the corners of Montrose and Biggar roads.
Pattison represents the It’s Our Future fundraising campaign’s ninth “founding donor” to be celebrated by the foundation to date. Other major donors include Spencer Fox of E.S. Fox, Mark Basciano of Mountainview Homes, and Harry Oakes of HOCO Entertainment and Resorts, among others.
In honour of his generous donation, the emergency room at the new hospital will be named the Jim Pattison Emergency Department.
“We are deeply grateful to Mr. Pattison for his exceptional generosity and his commitment to our community’s healthcare,” said Niagara Health Foundation President and CEO Andrea Scott.
“The naming of the new hospital’s Emergency Department after Mr. Pattison is a testament to his dedication of improving the lives of others, and will remind everyone who enters its doors that they are supported and cared for by their community in their time of need.”
Pattison, an Officer of the Order of Canada, has a lengthy history of dedication to the community and public service. His conglomerate, the Jim Pattison Group, is among Canada’s most prolific corporate donors.
Over the years, Pattison has been a consistent supporter of Niagara projects. Niagara Falls is home to two of the Jim Pattison Group’s divisions, including Great Wolf Lodge and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
“With this outstanding donation we are able to continue the momentum we need to raise the money that will raise the bar at this hospital,” said It’s Our Future campaign co-chairs Mayor Jim Diodati and Harry Oakes. “We are well on our way and support like Jim Pattison’s makes all the difference!”
The South Niagara Hospital fundraising campaign has secured over $50 million in pledges toward the community’s local share of the project.
The rest of the near $200 million required to be raised locally will come from municipal sources and Niagara Health.
At the end of February, Niagara Health and Infrastructure Ontario announced that EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare (EDIH) was awarded a fixed-price contract of approximately $3.6 billion to design, build, finance, and maintain the facility.
Site work on the new hospital is set to commence this July. The hospital will take five years to build, with occupancy planned for 2028.
The 1.3-million-square-foot facility will offer a full scope of hospital services including emergency, critical care, diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical services, as well as centres of excellence in complex care, wellness in aging, and stroke.
The new hospital will be 12 storeys tall and have up to 469 beds, of which a significant portion will be new, increasing Niagara Health’s capacity to provide inpatient services for the region.
The site will have advanced infection prevention and control measures and has been planned with the space and infrastructure to accommodate new and emerging healthcare technology.
