The Ottawa Hospital announced a historic agreement with local building and construction trades unions that will help ensure construction of the 2.5 million square foot facility as it moves ahead on schedule.
For the first time in Ontario health care, a newly signed project labour agreement between The Ottawa Hospital and the Unionized Building and Construction Trades of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec will eliminate risk for work delays and disruptions caused by strikes or lockouts during construction of The Ottawa Hospital's new campus which will be the largest and most important healthcare infrastructure project in Ottawa's history.
The agreement sets out the terms and conditions that will apply to all employers and all trades working on the project. It will also include:
- High safety standard for working conditions for all building and trades workers on the site
- Increase job stability
- Still follow Ontario's requirements for an open and competitive procurement process
- Compliance with bargaining rights
- Create apprenticeship opportunities for populations underrepresented in the construction trades
Ottawa Hospital states that a request for proposals to build the hospital was issued on November 29 by Infrastructure Ontario. According to Infrastructure Ontario, the new campus will feature:
- 50 acre site
- 2.5 million square foot facility
- 641 inpatient beds, including 100 critical care beds
- Most advanced trauma centres in Eastern Ontario
- One-patient, one bedroom, one-bathroom model for better infection prevention
- Parking garage
- Transit-oriented site that is pedestrian and cyclist safe, accessible, with greenspace
"The Ottawa Hospital wants to do all we can to create a positive and safe work environment for the thousands of workers that will be on site every day during construction of our new campus. We are thrilled to have partnered with trades unions on this landmark agreement that will help keep the project on schedule and avoid costs and delays associated with work stoppage."
President & CEO of The Ottawa Hospital | Cameron Love
The new campus is being built on a 50-acre site bordered by Carling Avenue, Preston Street, and Prince of Wales Drive in Ottawa that will be home to one of Canada's largest adult acute care hospitals, including a leading Neuroscience and Trauma Center, as well as enhanced surgical suites, outpatient clinics and specialized care.
Every patient will have their own room, equipped with an accessible washroom, and space for a loved one to spend the night. Smart in-room digital screens will keep patients connected with their loved ones who are unable to visit the hospital and there will be designated spaces for spiritual reflection, ceremony and healing.
"Every community in Canada is experiencing challenges related to wait times and staffing shortages are adding pressure across the entire health system. The new campus will help us respond to demands across all Ottawa Hospital campuses and support us in providing the excellent care and experience patients and their families expect and deserve. It will help us attract some of the best medical minds in the world, making Ottawa a hub for health research, discovery and training."
President & CEO of The Ottawa Hospital | Cameron Love
The work to build The Ottawa Hospital's new campus is moving ahead on schedule. Construction of the 50 acre site will be occurring in stages with crews working in different areas simultaneously. The first phase of construction is underway and involves preparing the site for the new hospital and building a parking garage. This will be a four-storey parkade that will have a direct, covered connection to the main hospital building and a rooftop park.
The hospital's new campus will be an economic boost for Ottawa. During construction, it will inject more than $2 billion into Ottawa's economy, contribute over $1.2 billion in labour income, create more than 4,000 full time jobs and generate a total economic output of over $3.75 billion.