Ontario Expanding Access to Cardiac Care in Thunder Bay
New cardiovascular surgery program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre will connect more people to care in Northwestern Ontario
The Ontario government is celebrating a key milestone connecting more people in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario to life-saving cardiac care by awarding the construction contract and 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.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario with the announcement of the new Cardiovascular Surgery Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre,” said The Hon. Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan. “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. Since I was elected in 2022, I’ve worked closely with local healthcare providers to as of today secure over $263 million in life-changing funding for the healthcare sector in Thunder Bay – Atikokan. This is a testament to our government’s commitment to improving access to care and investing in the health of every Ontarian. I look forward to the great impact this transformative project will have on our community.”
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, 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.”
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is expanding and modernizing Ontario’s hospitals, making it faster and easier for people of all ages to connect to the high-quality care they need, where and when they need it.
QUICK FACTS
- Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is a world-class, 375-bed acute care facility that serves over 250,000 people in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario.
- In December 2024, the Ontario government also announced an investment of $9.3 million to support the expansion of Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre’s cancer care services by expanding the linear accelerator (LINAC) service from two to three units, connecting more people in Northwestern Ontario to life-saving radiation therapy, closer to home.
- Over the next 10 years, Ontario’s investments will lead to nearly $50 billion in health infrastructure across the province, building 3,000 new beds in addition to over 3,500 critical care, acute and post-acute beds our government has added since 2020.
- Through Your Health, Ontario is getting shovels in the ground for over 50 hospital developments across the province.
- The Ontario government is investing more than $228 million this year to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 129 hospitals and 58 community health care facilities across the province, a 10 per cent increase from last year. In 2024-25, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre received a total allocation of $33,868 through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund program.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES