The area surrounding Toronto's Queen and Ossington intersection has been subject to much change in recent years, the most notable being the ongoing redevelopment of the 27-acre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Queen Street lands. Now a dozen years into rebuilding, the latest construction at the site is for a pair of seven-storey Stantec-designed buildings; the Complex Care & Recovery Building at the corner of Ossington Avenue and Queen, and the Crisis and Critical Care Building on Queen at White Squirrel Way.

Construction of the two new buildings—set to add approximately 600,000 square feet of space to the campus—has been underway since a ground breaking ceremony held in October 2017. In the months since, shoring work and excavation have been completed, and by Spring, a pair of tower cranes had been installed for each of the two sites.

Aerial view of the two CAMH sites from mid-April, image by Craig White

The most recent views of the two sites show that forming of the underground structures has wrapped up and both sites are now forming above grade. At the Queen and Ossington site of the McCain Complex Care & Recovery Building, support columns for the ground floor are clearly visible, while floor forms to construct the second level are now in place. 

Construction of the McCain Complex Care & Recovery Building, image by Forum contributor innsertnamehere

A block to the west at White Squirrel Way, construction of the new Crisis and Critical Care Building is closely mirroring its sibling development to the east. Here, ground floor elements are also apparent, with work currently underway on forming the second floor.

Construction of the Crisis and Critical Care Building, image by Forum contributor innsertnamehere

Completion of the two new buildings—anticipated for 2020—will be followed by the relocation of staff and patients, freeing up two of CAMH's older buildings near Shaw Street for demolition. Together, the new McCain Complex Care & Recovery Building and the Crisis and Critical Care Building will bring 235 new inpatient beds to CAMH, a 24-hour Emergency Department, a 300-seat auditorium, and a space called the 'therapeutic neighbourhood'.

McCain Complex Care & Recovery Building (L) and the Crisis and Critical Care Building (R), images courtesy of CAMH

Additional information plus the new renderings can be found in the project's database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Feel free to comment in the space, provided below, or you can join in the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum thread.