Rebuild to Begin Five Years Sooner
L-R: The Honourable Sarah Guillemard, Minister of Advanced Education and Training; Dr. Perry Gray, Provincial Lead, Medical Specialist Services and Chief Medical Officer; Dr. Shawn Young, Chief Operating Officer, HSC Winnipeg; Annette Frost, Chief Development Officer, HSC Foundation; Tina Jones, O.M., Board Chair, HSC Foundation; The Honourable Heather Stefanson, Premier of Manitoba; Jonathon Lyon, President and Chief Executive Officer, HSC Foundation; The Honourable Audrey Gordon, Minister of Health; The Honourable Cliff Cullen, Minister of Finance; Paul Cadieux, Chief Financial Officer, HSC Foundation
Winnipeg, MB, August 2, 2023 – Health Sciences Centre Foundation (HSC Foundation) is excited to announce that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Manitoba Clinic building, kickstarting the $1.5 billion project to rebuild HSC’s adult bed towers, a project launched today by Premier Heather Stefanson.
The Manitoba Clinic building is a 10 story, 136,731 square foot office tower located at 790 Sherbrook Street, adjacent to the HSC campus. It was built in 2018 and includes a parking facility with 638 spaces. The facility entered creditor protection in 2022. This unique set of circumstances allows HSC Foundation to sign an agreement to acquire the building for a fair price, secure the support of critical tenants, and prepare to close the transaction using credit facilities. This ensures no donor dollars will be spent to acquire the Manitoba Clinic building, and that no donor dollars will be used to support the operation of the building going forward.
“Our vision at HSC Foundation is to see HSC provide tomorrow’s health care today, and our mission is to inspire generosity to create the best health care experience for all Manitobans. Today’s announcement aligns with our aspirations,” said Jonathon Lyon, President and CEO, HSC Foundation. “We are proud to serve as a catalyst for a project that will rebuild and expand HSC’s adult bed towers, creating new, modern health care spaces built to the latest standards while providing better care for patients, helping to ensure the hospital can continue to attract and retain medical staff. All of us who care about HSC are thrilled that the Premier and the provincial government are moving forward with a historic $1.5 billion investment which makes this project possible, and thanks to our acquisition of the Manitoba Clinic, it will begin today—five years sooner than it would have otherwise.”
The $1.5 billion rebuild of the adult bed towers at HSC is the largest single health care capital investment in Manitoba history. It will begin to replace existing obsolete facilities, parts of which date back to 1897, and others that were built in 1911, 1917, 1950, 1960, and 1968. The investment in the new building, which is anticipated to be a minimum 10 storeys, will:
- Create approximately 240 new private patient rooms, each built to meet current infection prevention and control guidelines and provide better experiences for patients and the loved ones who support them;
- Enable the use of general hospital acute rooms as private, safe, and comfortable rooms;
- Establish campus space for new, complex procedural and diagnostic imaging services;
- Allow for the expansion of the adult emergency department and associated clinic spaces to support patient treatment and flow; and
- Address clinical capacity needs, including space to expand critical care units in the future if needed.
The original plan would have required the construction of new facilities to serve as temporary homes for various patient programs while the rebuild proceeded, a process that would have taken as much as five years. Thanks to HSC Foundation’s acquisition of the Manitoba Clinic building, the rebuild doesn’t have to wait—it will get started now.
“The transformation and redevelopment of HSC will touch every corner of the hospital and will impact almost every family in Manitoba. To be able to start this historic project immediately, instead of waiting five years to set up temporary space, is a massive benefit for all Manitobans,” said HSC’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Shawn Young. “The location of the Manitoba Clinic is ideal, and it minimizes disruption to patients and programs. This is an outstanding outcome for our hospital and the families who count on it and is another shining example of how the HSC Foundation has a huge, positive impact on HSC and on life in Manitoba.”
“This is a historic moment for HSC, and I’m proud our Foundation is driving an innovative approach that allows the rebuilding of the adult bed towers to get started immediately,” said Tina Jones, O.M., Chair, HSC Foundation Board of Directors. “It is an extraordinary example of how the HSC Foundation acts as a catalyst for tremendous improvements at HSC and to our health care system. We are elated the provincial government is moving forward with this historic investment and rebuild project.”
The HSC Foundation acquisition of the Manitoba Clinic building is subject to customary closing conditions as well as final approval by the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench.
To learn more about the announcement we invite you to listen to an interview with Dr. Perry Gray, Provincial Lead, Medical Specialist Services and Chief Medical Officer at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg and within Shared Health; and Jonathon Lyon, President & Chief Executive Officer on 680 CJOB.
