It’s official! Ground broken on new Niagara Falls hospital build

It’s been a long time coming but as always, everything starts with that first step. Or in the case of the new South Niagara Hospital, it’s when the shovels hit the ground.

Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, and Minster of Infrastructure Kinga Surma all made the trip in from Queen’s Park today (July 18) to break the ground on the new South Niagara Hospital expected to open in 2028.

“Today’s groundbreaking event for the new South Niagara hospital brings us one step closer to connecting the people of the growing Niagara region to more convenient care close to home for generations to come,” said Ford.

Located in Niagara Falls at the corner of Montrose Rd. and Biggar Rd., the new 12-storey building will hold 469 single-patient bedrooms, eight operating suites, 42 hemodialysis stations, and two MRI machines. It will offer a full scope of hospital services, including emergency, critical care, diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical services.

Close to 300 guests witnessed the milestone event, including donors, local elected officials, Indigenous partners, community and patient partners, and Niagara Health leaders.

Marylee O’Neill, Board Chair of Niagara Health noted, “We are very excited about transforming how we deliver care to create a healthier Niagara and are well on our way to achieving our vision to provide connected care for all communities across the region.”

Decew Construction (Rankin Construction) has already begun site work on the property in preparation for the construction trailer complex, which will be installed in the coming weeks. Excavation will begin by the end of the summer.

“I commend all the staff at Niagara Health and local elected officials for their constant and tireless work to make today a reality,” said Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, adding with an eye firming on the Conservative government, “Our commitment to our publicly funded and publicly delivered healthcare system doesn’t end here — I will continue to work each day to ensure everyone in our community has access to the healthcare services they need.”