Hi, my name is Cheryl Harrison and in May 2022 I became President and CEO at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare. I’m pleased to blog bimonthly on matters of interest across MAHC’s two hospital sites. From time to time, others have taken the pen as well on my behalf. Thanks for reading! Note: the CEO Blog has previously featured blog posts by Vickie Kaminski (Interim President and CEO January-May 2022) and by Natalie Bubela (President and CEO January 2012-December 2021)
Our redevelopment project for two new sites continues to move along as we work through what the Ministry refers to as the ‘Functional Program’ or Stage 1.3 of its capital planning process for hospitals until the early part of 2024. This stage of planning has three components:
- Program and service planning to meet our community’s future needs based on population projections, and considering future changes like expanded technology;
- Site selection for a new location for the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital (SMMH); and
- The financing plan for the community’s local share of $225 million of the $967 redevelopment project.
Most recently, our greatest progress has been to evaluate various land options within the urban centre boundary of Bracebridge to identify a preliminary preferred site for a future SMMH Site. In Huntsville, the property at 100 Frank Miller Drive is large enough for us to build a new hospital on the existing land, so no site selection is necessary.
Having looked at more than 20 different properties identified through various consultations, five locations met the minimum land requirements to proceed to evaluation. The team evaluated the five properties against broad criteria for location and property, land use planning framework, and capital and servicing costs. Through our open houses and feedback survey, we were grateful to receive community input on our criteria by hearing what was most important to people when considering a future location. We heard from some that people a hospital should be located near downtown Bracebridge and the ability to access the property by means other than a vehicle, such as on foot or cycling should be part of the evaluation. We also heard that environmental impacts were key to consider as well. Environmental considerations have been part of the evaluation criteria from the beginning, but we have expanded the criteria to focus on protecting environmentally sensitive land and natural landscapes, such as avoiding clearcutting of trees and ensuring our new builds look and feel like Muskoka. Top of mind for many we have engaged with is also how future construction will minimize climate change impacts.
The evaluation exercise found that each property had strengths and challenges, and a scoring process helped to rank their suitability for a hospital. We have narrowed the five properties to three that are considered appropriate for a future hospital:
- 1975 Muskoka Beach Road across from Muskoka Brewery, (current preliminary preferred site);
- 300 Pine Street between Walmart and the fairgrounds; and
- Highway 118 West lands, located east of the Muskoka Hills retirement villa.
Our evaluation isn’t fully completed yet. We were pleased to revisit our communities again in April with a series of in-person and virtual information sessions to provide an update, take questions, and validate our findings to date. Thank you to everyone who attended, and if you weren’t able to join us you can watch one of the presentations here.
We are also having ongoing discussions with the Town of Bracebridge to further investigate the potential costs of the required municipal services for these three highest-ranked properties.
Over the next several weeks we will be further validating the 1975 Muskoka Beach Road property, which includes further due diligence such as geotechnical and hydrogeological studies, cost estimates, environmental assessment, and site plan preparation.
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Dana Viking says
The ‘preferred site’ is the south portion of the Muskoka Royale lands. The community has spent a lot of time and money to save this environmentally sensitive area which never should have been placed in the urban boundaries. The hospital consultant says it was chosen as it was ‘flat.’ IHmmm. Flat ?? What about the environment.
I and my colleagues will be fighting to protect this site from development. We urge all fellow residents to make it clear to the hospital board that this is our community and our hospital. This should not be another real estate ‘deal.’ I urge all of you to make it clear that the community will not pay the $225 million. We will oppose the fundraising if this is the chosen site.
Stand up for the environment. Let’s not get bullied into losing the Muskoka we know and love.
Mac Taylor says
The hospital Chair publicly claimed that there is urgency to this as the Ontario government will pull the funding.
What is really going on here? Is this just a back room plan by certain politicians to bail out real estate speculators?
‘Flat’???? People like us can never know for sure but it seems that the same puppet masters are behind this billion dollar taxpayer funded plan.
Taxpayers beware. Muskoka and Bracebridge taxpayers beware. Those who care about Muskoka have every right to be demanding answers.
‘
Gene Roque says
No matter where they choose, it will have an environmental impact, and whatever site is chosen, someone will not like it. The most favoured site seems most logical. Let’s just build it: we could end up like being like Toronto, where nothing gets built.
Kam Fong says
Before any deal and site is chosen the public must know who are the beneficial owners of the Muskoka Royale lands. What is their relationship to our politicians?
Right now this is all at a very murky level. We saw what happened to the previous owner of the old high school site. It was reported that he is spending time in a foreign prison. Along with a multi billion dollar fine. Anyone who wants to know about this can do an internet search.
Let the light shine on all this BEFORE a final site is chosen.
Walt Ostanek says
All very very odd. Who announces the location before they tie up the land? Strange.
I thought the Town was paying yearly for a fixed price option for the Pine Street site. What’s the matter with that site? Is this money thrown out the window? Why didn’t the hospital board speak up about the money being spent on this site?
I say no more Bracebridge or Muskoka tax money until this is thoroughly investigated and public. Don’t take us taxpayers for fools.