Contractor named to oversee construction of new Vaughan hospital

An international management firm has been selected to oversee the construction and operation of a new hospital complex in Vaughan.

“Plenary Health is the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital,” Infrastructure Ontario said in a news release Monday.

The move follows a request for proposals process that began in June 2015.

The province said construction of the new hospital is expected to begin shortly after the contracts are signed this fall.

“This is a major milestone for this project and we can now look forward to the groundbreaking and construction of our new healthcare facility,” Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said in a statement.

The first hospital to be built in Vaughan, the project has long been anticipated by residents and promised by politicians.

Once complete, it will feature an emergency department, operating rooms, advanced diagnostic imaging, obstetrics and other services.

While the dollar value of the deal with Plenary Health has not yet been disclosed, details of the contract are expected to be released publicly after contracts have been signed in fall of this year, the province said in its release.

The hospital’s construction is being overseen by the province and Mackenzie health, a regional health care provider which also oversees Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital.