Thunder Bay to build $93M cardiac centre

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — The Ontario government is investing over $93 million to build the new Cardiovascular Surgery Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. This new funding builds on the over $5.7 million the government has previously invested to support early planning and design for this transformational project.

“This $93 million investment will bring life-saving cardiac care closer to home for thousands of residents, eliminating the need for travel to Toronto for surgery,” said Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan.

Through this investment, over 76,000 square feet of space will be renovated and expanded to accommodate a new comprehensive Cardiovascular Surgery Program that will allow Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to complete vital cardiac procedures, reduce wait times for urgent and elective procedures and ensure timely access to essential services in the region.

This transformative project will include:

• 14 new cardiovascular surgery inpatient cardiac care unit beds.
• 6 coronary care unit beds.
• A new, state-of-the-art surgical suite equipped with C-arm imaging technology and recovery area.
• An expanded ambulatory care and pre-admission clinic.
• A new vascular lab.
• Renovations to medical devices reprocessing and biomedical departments.

This cardiovascular surgery program would be the first of its kind in Northwestern Ontario and will help save patients in the region from travelling over 10 hours to receive surgery in Toronto.

By offering these lifesaving cardiovascular services in northwestern Ontario, the program will also help to increase capacity and address surgical wait times in other hospitals across the province that currently perform cardiovascular surgeries for patients from northwestern Ontario.

“Our government is making record investments to modernize and expand hospitals across the province to connect people of all ages to the care they need, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, deputy premier and minister of health. “The addition of this new cardiovascular surgery program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will allow people across northwestern Ontario to access state-of-the-art cardiac care, in their community, when they need it.”

Construction on this project is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and is expected to be completed in late 2027.

“This investment in Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is great news for the people of northwestern Ontario. It brings us closer to establishing a cardiovascular program – meaning patients can look forward to receiving lifesaving treatment right here at home,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott (pictured), president and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre.

“We are committed to evolving to meet the needs of our community and this funding helps us do just that. We appreciate the support in making high quality care more accessible and the government’s dedication to invest in our future.”

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is a world-class, 425-bed acute care facility that serves over 250,000 people in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario.