$12.5M planning grant for new Brantford hospital 'momentous for community'

A $12.5 million grant to move the new hospital project forward is great news for the community, says the president and CEO of the Brant Community Healthcare System.

“This is absolutely momentous for our community,” Bonnie Camm said Thursday. ““It really is incredible, it’s a great day for the community.”

Camm made the comments after Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s finance minister, announced that the Brant Community Healthcare System will receive the remainder of a $12.5 million grant to advance plans to build a new acute care tower and an acute ambulatory care building.

The announcement was included in the provincial budget which was delivered on Thursday.

“We were really hoping to hear this,” Camm said. “This announcement made my day, maybe even my year.”

Camm said the healthcare system is “incredibly grateful” to the provincial government and MPP (Will) Bouma for their support and commitment. “Without that, we wouldn’t have reached this point,” Camm said.

Had the healthcare system not received the grant, planning for the new hospital would have continued. But the pace of planning would be greatly reduced resulting in a much longer wait for construction to start, Camm said.

“This (announcement) allows us to be far more robust and be more timely in terms of moving forward,” Camm said. “We’re doing everything we can to get this done as promptly as we possibly can.

“Our community, in my opinion, has needed a new hospital for a long time so I think we need to move and work as quickly as we can to get this done.”

Camm said the announcement also means healthcare system officials can soon begin holding public consultation meetings about the new hospital.

Bouma announced the funding on social media following the budget.

Bouma told The Expositor that the grant is important because getting a new hospital built is a multi-stage process.

Had the healthcare system not received the grant the project would have likely stalled or, at best, move forward at a very slow pace.

Bouma said one of the biggest factors in getting the grant was the commitment Premier Doug Ford made to the community during a visit to Brantford in the fall of 2024.

The premier attended Bouma’s barbecue and during his speech called Camm to the podium to thank  her for her efforts.

“I’m so thankful for everyone coming together – the city, the county, Six Nations, Mississaugas of the Credit Nation, standing as one and advocating for a new hospital,” Bouma said. “This grant means they can continue to plug away and begin the conversation with the community about next steps.”

Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis said the announcement is a testament to the work of people like Camm, the healthcare system board and the advocacy of the county and city officials.

“That hard work has had an impact as has all of the behind-the-scenes work done by our MPP (Bouma) fighting hard to get this money as well as the voices of the community,” Davis said. “It has been a real team effort, a community effort which is really nice to see.”

Dave Diegel, chair of the healthcare system’s board of directors, said the announcement is the result of years of collaboration, vision and commitment from the board, hospital team and community partners.

.“We’re proud to be part of a provincial plan that prioritizes access to high-quality healthcare and ensures our facilities are equipped to serve future generations,” Diegel said.

Paul Emerson, chair of the redevelopment and properties committee of the BCHS board, called the announcement “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-imagine healthcare delivery in our region.”

Local officials have said a new hospital is at least 10 years away and will likely cost in excess of $1 billion.

Read the article on The Brantford Expositor's website. 

 Photo: Bonnie Camm, president and CEO of the Brant Community Healthcare System, and Dave Diegel, chair of the healthcare system's board of directors. 

Photo and article by Vincent Ball at The Brantford Expositor