The Ontario government is moving the Quinte Health Care (QHC) Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital redevelopment project to the fourth stage of a five-stage project, paving the way to go to tender, Todd Smith, MPP for Bay of Quinte, announced today.

The Ministry of Health has approved Quinte Health Care’s Stage 3.2 preliminary design drawings, allowing the hospital corporation to continue working with Infrastructure Ontario toward the new build. Stage 4 allows QHC to:

• Prepare detailed designs (including comprehensive breakdowns of materials and cost estimates)
• Finalize all tender documents
• Tender the project and evaluate proposals, select a preferred vendor, and make a submission to the Ministry to approve a construction grant and move forward to implementation

Typically, this stage lasts between 18-24 months, allowing construction to begin as early as Spring 2024.

“Our government recognizes the importance of building a modern, full-service hospital in Prince Edward County,” said Smith. “Today, with a lot of hard work from QHC and the community, we’ve reached the final stage of a long planning process before we’re able to select a contractor and put shovels in the ground. I’m looking forward to the final push to finish the job by building this new hospital.”

When built, the new Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital will have a 24-hour emergency department, 18 inpatient beds (expandable to 23), diagnostic imaging, a surgical suite, a dialysis unit and ambulatory care. It will also feature state-of-the-art design to promote infection prevention and control.

Stacey Daub, QHC’s President and CEO, is pleased to be able to move forward.

“Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital is an integral part of Quinte Health Care and the hospital plays a huge role in the health of its community. Today’s announcement ensures we will have a strong hospital, with care close to home, for Prince Edward County residents as well as the thousands of visitors that come to this beautiful part of our region each year,” said Daub. “This is a significant milestone for our QHC team, and our Foundation partners, who have worked relentlessly to make a new hospital a reality, ensuring high-quality care in Prince Edward County for generations to come.”

Community representatives welcomed the announcement.

“We are thrilled to see the momentum continue to build toward a redeveloped Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital,” said Steve Ferguson, Mayor of Prince Edward County. “A new, modern, full-service hospital right here in Prince Edward County has been a dream within our community for so many years. And the fact that the project is moving into the final stage before groundbreaking is undoubtedly welcome news for our residents.”

Barbara McConnell, the Chair of the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation, said the milestone offers the community confidence the project is proceeding.

“This day signals the next phase of development, and it is a testament to the commitment of many people who have been dedicated for a long time to this vision of a new hospital at the ‘heart’ of our community,” said McConnell. “Contributions to our Back the Build campaign have come as monetary donations, as volunteer hours and as vocal support… all in the name of demonstrating to the Province and the planning partners, that we are a community united in helping make this hospital happen. Today… together… we take another step toward that goal.”