Vaughan mayor announces next phase of Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct

Milestone comes almost three years after a signed memorandum of understanding in 2019

Thestar.com
July 11, 2022
Brian Capitao

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua has announced the proposed HealthCare Centre Precinct has moved on to the next stage.

The announcement comes almost three years after a signed memorandum of understanding in 2019. The planned expansion is a partnership between the City of Vaughan, Mackenzie Health, York University and enterprise software company ventureLAB.

The aim of the project is to fund research and innovation in the York region. The mayor has stated that 70,000 jobs have been created as a result of investments made in the city.

“I always found it important to utilize the lands,” said Bevilacqua. The mayor believes that the acreage of the hospital can be of use to future patients of the hospital.

The Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital is the first hospital of its kind in Canada with Smart technology. The new addition of the precinct is proposed to feature a community garden and waterways, making the space more modern and taking a holistic approach to medicine.

“It provides greater depth to our health-care infrastructure,” said Bevilacqua. “It’s a hospital-first approach, which means it’s a citizen-first approach.”

Guy Nevo, a 20-year-old volunteer at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital thinks that the expansion is worth celebrating.

“As gloomy as a hospital seems, it’s good to have an environment where mental health is paid attention to,” Nevo said of the planned garden that’s part of the project.

The move feels like a part of the bigger urban expansion happening in Vaughan. Nevo, who moved to country seven years ago from Israel, thinks the city is going to continue to build north.

“I feel like Vaughan is going to be the new Lawrence and Bathurst,” said Nevo. “The city is only going to continue to build north (of Toronto),” he said.

In a press release, the president and vice-chancellor at York University, Rhonda L. Lenton, said: “The Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct is designed to enhance the health and well-being of the community in one of Canada’s most diverse and fastest-growing regions.”

The project is expected to be in development for the next 10 to 20 years.