New Brantford hospital task force issues ‘call for land’

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If you have a large parcel of land suitable for a modern hospital, Brantford’s new hospital site identification task force would like to hear about it.

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The task force on Tuesday issued a ‘call for land’ to landowners who think their property could be the future home of the community’s new hospital.

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“We’re asking landowners across Brantford-Brant who have sites that meet the criteria we’re looking for to put forward their sites for consideration,” Don Shilton, chair of the site identification task force, said in a prepared statement. “The community has helped us define what matters most, and now we’re ready to find the site that will serve our region for generations to come.

“I’m confident we’ll find a great location for the new hospital.”

The task force is leading the Brant Community Healthcare System’s search for a location for the new hospital. It’s work is independent of the healthcare system board.

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Proposed sites will be evaluated on a criteria that includes the size and configuration of the property, proximity to infrastructure, environmental considerations, accessibility for patients and hospital staff, zoning status and total development costs.

The ‘call for land’ is being done in two stages.

Proposed sites will be reviewed in Stage 1 and those that meet the criteria will be put on a short list for further review in Stage 2. The task force plans to recommend a site to the Brant Community Healthcare System Board in the spring of 2026.

The ‘call for land’ follows a month-long community consultation process that received input from residents, healthcare system staff, local organizations, municipalities and local Indigenous communities.

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Shilton, a long-time Brantford resident, retired as president of St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener in 2018. He was named task force chair following an August visit to Brantford General Hospital by Ontario Health Minister and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones.

The health minister earlier this year announced funding to support the healthcare system’s planning for a new hospital. She also confirmed the ministry had endorsed a healthcare system request to build the new hospital on a greenfield site.

Previously, the health ministry had told the healthcare system to redevelop the hospital’s existing site on Terrace Hill Street and St. Paul Avenue.

Healthcare system officials say the present Brantford General Hospital building is extremely old, and isn’t large enough to serve a growing community and demand for health care services.

Moreover, the existing site is no longer able to support the use of technology and the teams that provide medical care. A new hospital, meanwhile, would provide the community with a facility that supports the communities needs today and well into the future.

The task force is encouraging interested landowners to review the full submission details on the healthcare system’s website at www.reimaginebchs.ca/newhospitalproject/site-identification/

The deadline for submissions is 3 p.m. Feb. 10, 2026.

Vball@postmedia.com

@EXPVBall

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