Ontario Building New Hospital in York Region

Stephen Lecce, MPP
Apr 27
8 min read

EAST GWILLIMBURY — The Ontario government is investing $10 million to advance plans for a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury as well as the redevelopment of Southlake Health’s existing hospital in Newmarket. Together, these projects will connect more than 250,000 people across communities in northern York Region and southern Simcoe County to more convenient, high-quality care close to home.

"After opening the state-of-the-art Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, our government is investing in another net-new hospital for families in King and Vaughan.” Said Stephen Lecce, MPP, King—Vaughan. “This new hospital, along with redevelopment of existing Southlake infrastructure, will deliver better healthcare, closer to home. Next year, we will start construction on the York University School of Medicine in Vaughan and open a new long-term care home in King, and this year, we are formally giving the green light to build a new acute care hospital for the benefit of our families, seniors, and future generations."

The new funding will support a distributed health network by advancing early planning for a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury. Once opened, the new hospital would include:

Expanded acute and post-acute care, including medicine, surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation, maternal and child health, and pediatric mental health
Increased inpatient capacity to meet the community’s future needs and allow more people to connect to care sooner
New emergency department with diagnostic imaging and upgraded infection prevention and control measures.

“Our government is delivering on our plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system by investing $64 billion to build and upgrade over 50 hospitals across the province,” said Premier Doug Ford. “With today’s announcement of a new, state-of-the-art hospital in East Gwillimbury and the redevelopment of Southlake Health in Newmarket, we’re ensuring that people in York Region and Simcoe County have reliable access to world-class care for generations to come.”

The current Southlake Hospital in Newmarket will be renovated and modernized, with more inpatient beds and expanded emergency capacity. The redevelopment will ensure the hospital can continue to meet the health-care needs of local communities, support increased patient volumes and work efficiently in conjunction with the new hospital.

“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system, ensuring people of all ages can connect to the care they need, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This investment for a new hospital and redeveloped facilities at Southlake Health is another important step in building a stronger health-care system in York Region and Simcoe County that will connect more people and families to the care they need.”

The new hospital and redevelopment will build on a number of previous investments the government has made in the region including:

Investing $1.8 million to create and expand two primary care teams in the greater Georgina area, connecting up to 3,400 people to care as part of the 2026–27 primary care expansion
Adding a new Southlake Family Health Team with approximately $850,000 in funding to connect an additional 2,400 residents to primary care as part of the 2025–26 expansion of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan
Over $6.5 million to support the expansion of Southlake’s Adult Inpatient Mental Health Unit, which will add 12 new mental health beds and support spaces
Over $5.3 million to support cancer care services at Southlake, with a new linear accelerator
Over $3.8 million to support diagnostic imaging at Southlake, with new Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography equipment.

"Today marks a defining moment for Southlake Health as we take a major step forward in transforming care across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County,” said Paul Woods, President and CEO of Southlake Health. “The Government of Ontario's investment and endorsement of our vision to build a Distributed Health Network will create a more integrated, sustainable local health-care system for generations to come. We are grateful to Premier Ford, Minister Jones and all our provincial and municipal partners for their leadership. Together, we will continue to deliver leading-edge care, close to home.”

Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to expand and modernize 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

As a next step, the Ministry of Health is working with Southlake Health to complete early planning for the new hospital, including determining bed numbers and square footage. Once further planning is completed and the project is tendered and awarded, a construction schedule will be confirmed.
Southlake Health provides a wide range of health-care services to patients in York Region and Simcoe County, including advanced regional programs such as cancer care and cardiac care.
Over the next 10 years, Ontario is investing approximately $64 billion in major health infrastructure. This is part of the government’s plan to get shovels in the ground on more than 50 major hospital projects across the province, which will deliver approximately 3,000 new hospital beds to enhance access to quality care and build a connected, people-first health-care system.
The Ontario government invested $257 million in 2025-26 to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 126 hospitals and 66 community health-care facilities across the province, a 12.3 per cent increase from the previous year.
In 2025-26, Southlake Health received over $2.9 million through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund to support the critical infrastructure needs of its hospital.

QUOTES

“Southlake Health has long been a pillar of our community—providing compassionate, high-quality care to families across Newmarket, Aurora, and the broader York Region South Simcoe area. Today’s announcement is the result of years of strong local advocacy, and I am proud to see that work translate into real progress for our residents. With this new hospital in East Gwillimbury and the redevelopment of Southlake Health, we are ensuring that patients across the region will have better access to modern, state-of-the-art facility to provide that care closer to home. This investment will allow Southlake to continue growing and delivering for our community and its entire catchment area—now and for generations to come."

— Dawn Gallager Murphy, MPP, Newmarket—Aurora

“Our government is delivering on our plan to bring high-quality care closer to home by modernizing the current Southlake Hospital and building a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury. Through these investments, the new acute care hospital will deliver more beds and a new emergency centre that will work in partnership with the newly renovated Southlake Hospital to serve our growing communities.”

— Caroline Mulroney, MPP, York—Simcoe

“Our government is making major investments in Ontario’s health-care system by building a new hospital in East Gwillimbury and supporting the redevelopment of Southlake Health in Newmarket. This investment helps ensure individuals across York Region have access to modern, high-quality hospital care closer to home, when and where they need it.” .”

— Michael Parsa, MPP, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill

“We stand at the edge of something unprecedented as Southlake Health embarks on its transformation into a Distributed Health Network, a new system of care across our vast catchment. This will be the most ambitious chapter in our shared history, with Southlake Health Foundation embarking on our largest fundraising campaign in history, inviting bold philanthropic investment, powered by communities that give at every level, to deliver change that truly matters.”

— Jennifer Ritter, President and CEO, Southlake Health Foundation

“The expansion of the Southlake Health Distributed Health Network regionally and into East Gwillimbury will ensure our growing communities have access to high-quality health care close to home. As East Gwillimbury continues to grow, significant investments like this will help residents and families connect to the services they need, when they need them. We look forward to working with Southlake Health, the Province of Ontario, York Region, and regional partners to strengthen health-care capacity for our residents and for communities across York Region.”

— Virgina Hackson, Mayor of East Gwillimbury

“Today’s announcement marks a transformative investment in the health and well-being of our growing communities. On behalf of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, I want to thank Premier Doug Ford, Minister Jones, and Southlake Health for their leadership in advancing this comprehensive vision for care. The new hospital in East Gwillimbury, together with significant upgrades to the Newmarket facility and expanded access to services in Bradford and Georgina, will ensure that residents across our region receive timely, high-quality care close to home. This is a critical step forward in supporting our rapid growth and building a healthier future for our community.”

— James Leduc, Mayor of Bradford

“The redevelopment of Southlake Health’s Davis Drive campus and the exciting plans for the construction of a new hospital represent a tremendous leap forward in enhancing health-care services for our community, promising a positive and enduring impact for generations to come.”

— Iain Lovatt, Mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville

“The reality is that our communities are rapidly growing and aging, and we’ve long needed access to more high-quality care. That’s why today’s announcement of the new Southlake Health hospital site is a huge step forward for health care in northern York Region and South Simcoe. I want to thank the Government of Ontario, the dedicated and compassionate team at Southlake Health and the generous community members who have been critical in this process. You’re helping deliver the health care people need closer to where they are.”

— Tom Mrakas, Mayor of Aurora

“Southlake is Newmarket's greatest asset, and in truth, it’s a tremendous asset for all of northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. The provincial announcement today is a significant step forward and will ensure residents continue to have access to world-class care close to home for generations to come. I look forward to continuing to work with Southlake and the Province of Ontario to meet the health-care needs of the regions’ residents now and in the future..”

— John Taylor, Mayor of Newmarket

“We welcome this important announcement, which will help transform Southlake Health into a Distributed Health Network and bring care closer to home for Georgina residents. As our community continues to grow, investments like this are essential to meeting increasing demand and ensuring residents can access timely, high quality care where they live. Our partnership with Southlake Health reflects our shared commitment to improving health-care access. This investment represents another step forward in enhancing the patient experience and strengthening health-care services for Georgina. I look forward to continuing our work with Southlake Health and bringing an Advanced Care Centre to Georgina.”

— Margaret Quirk, Mayor of Town of Georgina

“Access to health care touches every family, and growing pressure on our health system means we must plan regionally and proactively. King Township is appreciative that the nearby Town of East Gwillimbury has been selected as the second hospital site for Southlake Health, and we thank the provincial government for investing in solutions that address capacity and overflow across northern York Region. Southlake is internationally recognized and a leader in cardiac and cancer care, providing advanced, life saving treatments close to home. This expansion will ease pressure on emergency departments, improve access to care and deliver real health-care benefits for King Township residents and neighbouring communities.”

— Steve Pellegrini, Mayor of the Township of King

“For more than 100 years, Southlake Health has been providing high-quality care to northern York Region and surrounding area residents. I am pleased to see the longstanding commitment to health and well-being continue and now expand into the Town of East Gwillimbury, reflecting our shared dedication to ensuring families and patients — today and for generations to come — have access to the care they need, close to home.”

— Eric Jolliffe, Chairman and CEO, The Regional Municipality of York

“On behalf of the County of Simcoe, we thank the Government of Ontario for its investment in Southlake Health, helping to grow and modernize the care and services provided to residents in the southern part of our region, as well as specialized programs that improve health outcomes for so many in our communities. The Province has invested in and committed funding to many of our area hospitals, recognizing the growth of our region, our aging population and the important role that hospitals and health networks play in our communities.”

— Basil Clarke, County of Simcoe Warden

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES