Ottawa Construction News staff writer
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) marked a key milestone in the construction of its new Integrated Treatment Centre with a virtual ceremony Tuesday celebrating the raising of the final structural beam.
Construction is being led by EllisDon Corporation, working through its consortium EllisDon Infrastructure OCH Inc., with design and engineering partners including Montgomery Sisam Architects, Vertechs Design, Walter Fedy, Mulvey & Banani International, H. H. Angus and Associates, and Entuitive.
“Infrastructure Ontario is proud to work with CHEO, EllisDon and our government partners to deliver a modern, accessible facility that will improve how children and youth with special needs access care in eastern Ontario,” said Angela Clayton, President and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario.
Once operational, the 200,000-square-foot facility will provide coordinated, specialized care to more than 13,700 children and youth with special needs, along with their families, in eastern Ontario. The centre is expected to open in 2028 and will connect to the existing CHEO hospital via a tunnel.
“Today’s construction milestone underscores the tremendous dedication of everyone supporting CHEO’s new Integrated Treatment Centre, from workers and project partners to community members. Once complete, the centre will provide children and youth with special needs better access to coordinated, specialized care, closer to home,” said Todd McCarthy, Acting Minister of Infrastructure.
The provincial government is supporting the construction of the centre as part of a broader $60-billion plan to invest in more than 50 major hospital projects across Ontario over the next decade.
The new centre will provide rehabilitation services and support therapies, including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language therapy, and recreation therapy. It will also coordinate care for children with multiple or complex needs, including programs through the Ontario Autism Program and the Extensive Needs Service, which connects families with multidisciplinary teams of doctors, social workers, and behavioural consultants.
“Our government is proud to be celebrating this significant construction milestone alongside the community and our partners from CHEO, the CHEO Foundation and its Kids These Days campaign,” said George Darouze, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “This milestone moves the project one step closer to reality, with a new building to meet the growing need for children’s development services in a modern and fully accessible space which will benefit residents of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.”
Ontario is also investing in modern children’s treatment centres in Chatham-Kent, Brantford, Ajax, and Sudbury.
Quick facts:
- Special needs can include communication disorders, physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and chronic or long-term medical conditions, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, spina bifida, autism spectrum disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
- Ground was broken in April 2025.
- The new CHEO centre will be fully operational by 2028.
“This beam carries signatures and handprints today; signatures from some of the people who have made this project possible, but most importantly, the handprints of those kids this project is for,” said CHEO president and CEO Vera Etches. “Together, these signatures and handprints signal the shared vision of what care for children and youth can and should be.”
