By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

The Province of Ontario officially broke ground on the region’s Fancsy Family Hospital on Thursday, July 16, with Premier Doug Ford on hand to help usher in a new era of healthcare for Windsor-Essex.

The Province has committed financially to the project that will add space for more than 100 additional hospital beds (to bring that total to 600) and build world-class healthcare infrastructure in a state-of-the-art facility.

Beyond the 100 additional beds, the new hospital will offer a new 24/7 emergency department, cancer care, complex trauma support, maternal and newborn care, surgical services and critical care, neurology and cardiology services, and more single-patient rooms to increase patient privacy and prevent the spread of infection.

In the coming weeks, crews will focus on site preparations, followed by the excavation that will ramp-up over the summer. Construction will begin in the north-east corner of the property on County Road 42, and continue across the site to the east and south, until the hospital is built through all three phases; with the first phase including the construction of a 700-vehicle parking garage, education and administration building, and site infrastructure.

As that continues, Phases 2 and 3 will be advanced, including the tendering process to select the team to design, build, and finance the diagnostic and treatment block. The inpatient tower, designed to support exceptional care, will then be tendered.

Since 2017, Windsor and the County – through the support of taxpayers across the region – have been committed partners in helping to fund the local share of the project. Both the County of Essex and City of Windsor are contributing $100M to the project. By the end of the year, the County will have put away around $65M of that commitment.

It is unknown what the total project will cost, with Premier Ford noting the Province will come up with those numbers.

“It’s massive, multiple billions of dollars,” he said. “We will spend what it takes, and be prudent about it. No matter what it takes, we are building this hospital, and we aren’t going to spare a penny.”

It was noted the collaboration between parties is ongoing, with regular meetings, constant updating, and working together to handle challenges.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens spoke of how there are moments in every community that become a defining part of its history.

“Today is one of those moments,” he said, adding people will remember the day ground was officially broken on the first phase of construction for the hospital “that will transform healthcare in Windsor and Essex County,” Dilkens said.

“Our healthcare professionals have delivered exceptional care through some of life’s most difficult and meaningful moments, and their commitment has never wavered, and our community owes them an extreme debt of gratitude. But as Windsor-Essex has evolved, so too has the need for exceptional health care and modern, state-of-

the-art facilities to deliver it,” he added.

He spoke of population and economic growth in the area.

“As more families choose to call this region home, we are experiencing the exact kind of success that every community hopes to achieve, and that growth has a ripple effect that all levels of government are responsible for supporting,” Dilkens added.

“Today reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that healthcare infrastructure keeps pace with the transformation that’s taking place across Windsor and Essex County. For the residents that we serve today, and for the generations that will call this region home tomorrow, this hospital will provide patients and families with modern facilities, while giving our physicians, our nurses, and our healthcare professionals the tools, technology, and environment that they need to continue delivering exceptional care,” Dilkens commented.

He added it will attract talent, support, research and innovation, and strengthen partnerships with our post-secondary institutions, while giving businesses and families confidence that this is a community in which they can build their futures.

To Dilkens, “this is more than just a regional hospital. This is a once-in-a-generation project that is delivering results in key growth areas where we are, quite literally, building our region’s future.”

“We can’t wait,” Essex County Warden/Mayor of Leamington, Hilda MacDonald, added.

“The Fancsy Family Hospital will end hallway healthcare. It will strengthen our economy, and it will – for me – so importantly, will improve the quality of life for families across Windsor-Essex, not for today, not for tomorrow, but for generations to come,” she said.

She spoke of how the region rallied behind the “WE can’t wait” slogan to ensure this project moved ahead.

“They told Queen’s Park that Windsor-Essex would not be left behind, that our residents deserved a modern hospital and an integrated healthcare system. And look at us now. That advocacy paid off, thanks to the work of our hospital partners and the support of the province,” MacDonald added, thanking Premier Doug Ford for hearing – and listening – to the voice of the community, deriving the largest healthcare investment in our region’s history.

In addition to the County’s financial contribution to the project itself, MacDonald said it is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure that will support this hospital and consequently the growing region.

“We are also leveraging this hospital’s strategic location to strengthen emergency ambulance services. The County has purchased property nearby for a new EMS headquarters that will optimize paramedic resources, improve patient care, and support a more integrated healthcare system,” she said. “Together, we’re building a stronger regional economy, and we’re building a better future for everyone who calls Windsor and Essex County home.”

Local MPPs Andrew Dowie and Anthony Leardi, who is also Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, were on site to comment on the groundbreaking.

“For well over 15-years, people across Windsor and Essex County have championed the need for modern hospital infrastructure that can meet the demands of a growing and ageing population,” Dowie said.

“We all know that the road to this moment has not always been a straight one, and there were times when people questioned whether this project would ever move from vision to reality. But throughout that journey, one thing never changed. That’s the determination of this community to not let this project fall off the agenda.”

He added that when the Province committed funding for planning – and later committed the billions needed to build this state-of-the-art hospital, “it sent a powerful message that Windsor-Essex matters. That our families matter. And that our healthcare system matters.”

Leardi said the groundbreaking was a milestone for people who live in Essex County, as it is part of the Province’s $64B plan to renew healthcare infrastructure.

Premier Ford said Dowie and Leardi were champions from day one, along with elected officials.

He remembered saying, back in 2018, “no matter what, we are getting the hospital.”

With the additional 100 beds, Ford said the new hospital will help lower wait times in the region.

He looks forward to returning to the region to celebrate the hospital’s opening in the future.

“The hospital is an incredible achievement of the community,” he said.

He said the foundation of education, health, social services, and infrastructure is one thing: “our economy. Our Economy is absolutely critical to everything.”

He said the provincial government is going to keep the economy going strong. One way he said they are doing that is through the recently unveiled proposed route of the Northern Shield Energy Corridor, which will run from Hardisty, Alberta to Sarnia. This pipeline – built with Canadian steel – would bring Alberta oil to Ontario refineries, supporting good-paying jobs.

This would create sovereignty and oil independence, Premier Ford said.

He also spoke of how the Province is protecting workers and families impacted by US tariffs by investing over $2B into training programs, including in Windsor-Essex.

Through Ontario Together, Ford added, local manufacturers are being helped in making nearly $44M of new investments that are protecting and creating good-paying jobs across the region.

The milestone was more than just about breaking ground for a building; “it is about creating a place where hope begins, healing happens, and lives are changed,” Terry Fancsy said, whose Brother, John Fanscy, donated around $40M to the hospital through his estate. She noted their parents instilled within them that if they were fortunate enough to help others, to do so with humility. Her brother carried that with him. “His extraordinary gift is not about our family name; it is about investing in people.”

She also took time to recognize all first responders, thanking them for getting individuals to the care they need when seconds matter. To every member of the hospital team, she thanked them for the compassion, skill, and dedication they show every day.

“May this hospital stand for generations as a symbol of hope, healing, compassion, and community,” Fancsy said.