(May 26, 2026) By:\u00a0 Tyler Fleming, CTV News<\/p>\n
Questions are being raised about the construction of the new Civic Campus for the Ottawa Hospital, with critics warning the project could stretch well into the 2030s and balloon in cost, some of which will fall on Ottawa taxpayers.<\/p>\n
At Queen\u2019s Park on Tuesday, Ottawa-South Liberal MPP John Fraser said while the project is now roughly a decade removed from receiving its first found of funding, its visible progress at the site remains limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Ottawans have is a large parking garage and a hole in the ground with no end in sight,\u201d said Fraser. \u201cAnd a consultant saying it will be well into the 2030\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fraser raised the concerns after comments made last month at a City of Ottawa public works and infrastructure committee meeting. Graham Bird, president of consulting firm GBA Group, which is advising the hospital on the project, told the committee the hospital campus remains years away from completion.<\/p>\n
In 2021, The Ottawa Hospital foresaw construction beginning in 2024, with the facility opening four years later.<\/p>\n
Fraser suggested the project\u2019s price tag could climb billions beyond the original estimate of nearly $3 billion. He also warned the local share of the project could approach $1 billion, up from initial estimates of roughly $300 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a lot for the residents of Ottawa,\u201d Fraser said.<\/p>\n
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on Wednesday that the city is not expecting an increase in the request from the City of Ottawa beyond the initial $150 million ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve maintained a dialogue with the team at the Ottawa Hospital about the local contribution,\u201d Sutcliffe said. \u201cI don\u2019t expect that the local contribution will increase as a result of any of the changes in the budget.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff have been directed to report back to city council on options to provide up to $150 million to the new Ottawa Hospital project.<\/p>\n
Residents near the Dow\u2019s Lake construction site along Carling Avenue, east of the current Civic Campus, say they are not surprised by concerns about delays and costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re used to them screwing up and we\u2019re paying with our tax dollars,\u201d said Ottawa resident Lee Boucher, adding he still believes the finished facility will be worthwhile. \u201cWe go to the Civic now and we\u2019ve got top-notch doctors and nurses \u2026 The new hospital, it\u2019s going to be awesome, but I might not be around when it\u2019s built.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra called the pace of the project \u201chorrifying,\u201d arguing the region\u2019s healthcare system is already under significant strain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospitals are completely overwhelmed,\u201d said Mehra. \u201cThey\u2019ve got portables outside, they\u2019re using garages. At what point do we say it\u2019s an emergency and get all the boots on the ground to fix the hospital system in Ottawa? This is outrageous and I just think it\u2019s partly because there hasn\u2019t been enough considered political pressure to force the government to actually just put boots on the ground and make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, The Ottawa Hospital says construction at the new campus is continuing, with the parking garage expected to open this summer. It adds site preparation work is ongoing, including foundation preparation where the hospital will be built.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are currently finalizing the design and construction timeline with the build partner, the Ministry of Health and Infrastructure Ontario,\u201d the hospital said. \u201cWe will be able to confirm these details once this phase of the project is complete.\u201d<\/p>\n