The redevelopment of Toronto's West Park Healthcare Centre (WPHC) has been in the works for quite some time. West Park serves patients in need of long term rehabilitative care as well as complex care after a life-altering injury or illnesses including lung disease, diabetes, stroke, amputation and musculoskeletal issues.

The complex, poised above the Humber Valley north of the Eglinton Flats, is currently home to 459 hospital beds, 259 of which are reserved for rehabilitation/complex care, with the remaining 200 in the Long Term Care Building. Located west of the intersection of Jane Street and Weston Road in the Toronto borough of York, the grounds are home to four long-standing WPHC buildings, and the plans call for the demolition of three of them from the early and mid 20th century (the Gage, Ruddy, and Main buildings, for those familiar with the site) to make way for a new state of the art hospital better equipped for the future. 

Aerial view with renderings of site, courtesy of EllisDon

Applications were originally submitted in 2008 that resulted in several Official Plan and Zoning by-law amendments covering redevelopment of the entire campus. An updated Site Plan Application (SPA) was submitted at the beginning of May that adheres to the new zoning.

Rendering of new buildings on site, via Ellis Don

The site has been divided into three designated blocks, as per below. Block A includes the existing Long Term Care building that is being retained (to the west of Block C, below), plus will see the new hospital built where the Block A label is. Block B is now zoned for complementary uses such as residential and personal service establishments and will be developed by third parties. Block C is zoned flexibly for future hospital or complementary use, but will be used as a surface parking lot for the time being. 

Block Plan, via Bousfields Inc.

Last year, EllisDon was awarded a fixed-price contract to design, build, finance, and maintain the project. Joey Comeau, SVP Capital, EllisDon, released a statute at the time saying "As the first hospital in Ontario to include community benefits, West Park Healthcare Centre is a very exciting undertaking for EllisDon. As builders who are deeply rooted in the communities we build in, EllisDon is proud to be awarded the opportunity to collaborate on a project that will keep social and economic community benefits at the forefront before, during, and after construction." 

The development project will include a new, approximately 730,000 square foot, six-storey hospital building. According to the EllisDon press release, the new building will provide "various inpatient, outpatient, and outreach services. Outpatient care space will be significantly increased to accommodate current and new services such as geriatric clinics and day hospital, and satellite hemodialysis. Eighty per cent of the beds will be in single-patient rooms.

The new West Park in its surround context, image courtesy of EllisDon

Sustainable features and elements such as expansion of green space and extensive landscaping for outdoor therapy areas and therapeutic gardens will also be incorporated into the design. The project will target Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification."

EllisDon's team includes Montgomery Sisam ArchitectsCannon DesignVertechs Design, and others. Site preparation work has begun, with substantial completion targeted for early 2023.

Additional information and many images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.

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Related Companies:  ASSA ABLOY Canada Ltd., EllisDon, LiveRoof Ontario Inc, MHBC Planning, Trillium Architectural Products, Vortex Fire Consulting Inc.