Province confirms it will fund 90 per cent of capital costs for new St. Joseph's Hospital wing

THUNDER BAY – The province will cover nearly 90 per cent of the capital costs for the St. Joseph’s Hospital new east wing.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced her government is spending up to $47.8 million towards the construction of the hospital expansion, appearing the official on-site ground-breaking Monday morning. The ceremony and announcement confirmed the investment that had been made public in April.

The new 100,000 square foot wing, which has an estimated construction cost of $52 million, will house a specialized mental health program.

“More people with mental health challenges will be able to access specialized care and will be able to access that care in a way that integrates them into the general population,” Wynne said in remarks to local media following the ground breaking.

Wynne was accompanied by city MPPs and Cabinet ministers Bill Mauro and Michael Gravelle, who each addressed the crowd.

When completed, the new addition will allow St. Joseph’s Care Group to consolidate more of their programs at one central site. The organization had been running their mental health programs out of the former Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital.

The new wing will offer 38 inpatient beds as well as outpatient programs, community support services and videoconferencing to enhance access to mental health care across the region.

St. Joseph’s Care Group president and chief executive officer Tracy Buckler said it is important to minimize the distinction between the two different kinds of care.

“Rehab happens for physical health needs and rehab happens for mental health needs,” she said in her speech during the ground-breaking ceremony.

“When everybody is here on one site everyone is here for rehab. It doesn’t matter what we’re rehabilitating but we’re provided the treatment and the care that people need.”

The Premier said the construction of the unit itself sends a message about the importance of mental health treatment.

“The way we see the whole issue of mental health in our society has changed so much. I think you can just look at the way buildings are evolving and that tells the story of how we’ve changed our perceptions and our understanding of mental health issues,” Wynne said.

“Instead of closed doors and locked buildings, we are finding ways to integrate people to provide the services that will allow them to be the very best they can be and for all of us to be integrated into society.”

The project was funded by the provincial government’s planned infrastructure funding of $130 billion over 10 years.

The new wing is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017.

The first appearance during her Monday visit was not without controversy.

During the ceremony, local members of the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union gathered around the fenced area and heckled Wynne and her government, particularly during the arranged photo opportunity, urging them to get back to the negotiating table and to not go forward with the privatization of Hydro One.

Wynne is later scheduled to appear at the Boys' and Girls' Club to mark the fifth anniversary of Science North, participate in a Chamber of Commerce roundtable and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gravelle being elected to Queen's Park.