Healthcare at the heart of city-building in Vaughan

RenewCanada.net
July 29, 2020
Connie Vitello

The first phase of a three-phase feasibility study to transform Vaughan, Ontario into a leader in healthcare research, innovation and opportunity is now complete.

“Long before the world had ever heard of COVID-19, the City of Vaughan began preparing for a future with healthcare at the heart of city-building,” said Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.  “The goal of this unique partnership is for the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct to leverage resources to bring healthcare, innovation and jobs to our growing community.”

According to Mayor Bevilacqua, this site has the potential to be a place that will “connect people and spaces and bring together different sectors to become an epicentre of healthcare excellence felt across Canada.”

The Phase 1 Draft Study for the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct (VHCP) project was prepared by UrbanMetrics, Sajecki Consulting, Strategy Corp. and the Lura Group. The consulting consortium was selected in a competitive procurement process by the VHCP partnership made up of the City of Vaughan, York University, Mackenzie Health and ventureLAB, to undertake a feasibility study to identify transformational opportunities that will maximize the use of lands surrounding the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.

Key findings from the draft study include the following:

• The VHCP partnership, planned and implemented at the start of the development process, is unique in Canada.
• Key in the development of healthcare innovation districts is the partnership of education, healthcare and innovative industry. Most examples reviewed include two of the three components. Vaughan has all three.
• The proposed location presents no major challenges to achieving the vision for the initiative.
• The city’s demographics, including educational attainment and overall growth, are favourable for its development.

On June 16, Mayor Bevilacqua joined Premier Doug Ford and other dignitaries to acknowledge another milestone in the city’s healthcare journey at the official naming ceremony of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. The new $1.6-billion Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital will be Vaughan’s first hospital, and Canada’s first smart hospital. The 1.2-million square-foot site can house up to 550 hospital beds. The hospital will employ more than 1,800 full-time hospital staff and will feature fully integrated smart technology systems and medical devices.

“This unique partnership aimed at defining the possibilities for the lands that surround the new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital has brought representatives from across our community together to establish our region as a centre of excellence in healthcare,” said Altaf Stationwala, president and CEO, Mackenzie Health. “We’re excited to be part of this one-of-a-kind collaboration which will help bring investment, innovation and jobs to our region above and beyond those that come with building a new hospital.”

The complete and final study is on track to be completed on time by the end of 2020.