On May 2, 2014, six groups — Quinte Health, the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation and Auxiliary, the Prince Edward Family Health Team, the South East Local Health Integration Network (now Ontario Health), and the municipality of Prince Edward County — came together to publicly launch efforts to build a new Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH). The partners knew it would be a long road ahead. In a presentation to the Quinte Health Board of Directors at the time, the project timeline was estimated at 10-12 years to get to construction. 

Some things to come were a predictable part of the approval process – while some others, like a global pandemic, were not on the radar on this happy launch day. At the time, Mayor Peter Mertens was quoted as saying, “I encourage all our residents to wholeheartedly support this, be vocal, be vocal in terms of your support, be vocal in terms of your contributions whether it’s in kind, with your energy or with your dollars.” Vocal, you were, and still are, in support of a new hospital, including unwavering support from Prince Edward County’s current Mayor Steve Ferguson.  

For any hospital redevelopment project in Ontario, the Ministry of Health covers 90 percent of the construction costs. The remaining 10 percent of the construction plus 100 percent of the equipment costs must come from local community fundraising. Enter our amazing partners—the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation. We are immensely grateful to the Foundation and every donor across our community who has Backed the Build.

In the coming years, as the team persistently made their way through the five extensive stages of the Capital Development process, our clinical staff and physicians, our foundation partners, and our volunteers were consulted each step as part of the planning.  

Opportunities for public consultation also existed. Our commitment to keeping our partners and the community informed never wavered—even when there wasn’t much to tell. We continued to put out quarterly newsletter updates for years before transitioning to a more digital approach in recent years. Our team made it our mission to celebrate every step forward. The hurdles to clear were many. Our collective commitment was steadfast. Each stage is more detailed than the last. 

Following the public launch in 2014, the Foundation and Auxiliary supported the initial planning work. The Pre-Capital Submission was completed in 2015 and submitted to the Ministry of Health. At the time, the government of Ontario's capital approval process consisted of five stages. 

In January 2017, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care approved the Pre-Capital Submission and gave the ‘green light’ to move to Stage 1 of five, which included evaluating site options and a space plan.

It was standing room only when the then Minister of Health, Dr. Eric Hoskins, visited PECMH in February 2018 to announce a grant from the province to help plan for the redevelopment and the province’s approval of Stage 1. He was welcomed by a large group of community supporters, including strong advocate Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith.

Fast-forward to 2020, when it was clear that not even a global pandemic would stop this project from moving ahead. In June, MPP Smith joined partners outside the hospital, along with about 100 virtual attendees over Zoom, to announce the approval of Stage 2. This allowed our team to proceed to Stage 3—detailed planning and design work for the new hospital. Smith stated, “This is the point of no return. The hospital will be built.”

In October 2020, MPP Smith joined partners once again outside at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital, along with Premier Doug Ford and then Minister of Health Christine Elliott. Ford announced a government investment of $8.7 million to support the planning and design of the new hospital.

In April 2022, the province announced the approval for Stage 3, permitting the project to move to Stage 4 of the process, the last step before shovels go into the ground. This approval included plans for a CT scanner in the new hospital design – a first for PECMH.

In March 2023, the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued. In August of 2023, the shortlisted companies were announced. In November, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Quinte Health invited prequalified companies to submit a bid – releasing the Request for Proposals (RFP).

In April of this year, the RFP process closed, prompting the submission evaluation process, currently underway. 

May 2^nd marked the 10th Anniversary of the project's public launch. We marked the occasion with an internal open house for Quinte Health team members, planned in partnership with the Foundation, and publicly acknowledged the milestone on our website and social media. 

Ten years of partnership and perseverance - stay tuned as we approach ‘shovels in the ground’. There is still time to help get the PECMH Foundation’s campaign past the finish line – please Back the Build! 

For information about our hospital or to donate, call 613-476-1008 ext. 4425 or visit our website at www.pecmhf.ca.