Weeneebayko Hospital Redevelopment Breaks Ground

The Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) Redevelopment Project in northern Ontario has broken ground, having officially achieved financial close on October 3, 2024.

The project aims to help expand and improve access to health care services for people living in the western James Bay and Hudson Bay regions.

Kasian, in partnership with Bertrand Wheeler Architecture Inc., was chosen by Pomerleau Construction to plan and design a new $1.8 billion regional health care campus in Moosonee, and a new ambulatory care centre on Moose Factory Island.

Upon completion, the new regional healthcare campus will allow WAHA to expand its health promotion and capacity building programs, to better accommodate primary health care services, and to improve access to care for the mostly First Nations communities it serves.

The project includes an acute care hospital, a larger 24-hour emergency department, a new 32-bed Elder Care Lodge, modern state-of-the-art patient rooms, expanded mental health and addictions programming space, residences for staff, a hostel for patients and visitors, and a future ambulatory health clinic.

“In addition to delivering a contemporary healthcare campus, we are proud to have also succeeded to plan and design all the buildings and the site in a way that respects and embodies culturally relevant values, beliefs, and traditions of the Cree First Nations communities WAHA serves,” says Kasian senior associate and project manager Brenda Lee.

The project faces several challenges and risks not normally experienced with similar projects in southern Ontario, such as the location’s remoteness, which requires careful planning around weather conditions. Buildings on the campus that can be constructed with modular units, such as housing, will be prefabricated and shipped via rail to the site.

Initial construction is timed to align with the region’s short construction season until the building is enclosed and heated, which will allow for work to continue beyond the outdoor construction window. The project is targeting a 2030 completion.

“Our commitment from the beginning was to ensure that in, addition to these important goals, the project would be viewed as a tangible and authentic act of reconciliation,” said Ian Sinclair. “If colonialism was about denying culture, then it is our responsibility to act by ensuring the design embodies and celebrates local Cree culture, values, and traditions.”

The entire orientation of the hospital building on the site aligns with the cardinal directions of the Cree Medicine Wheel. The circular front entry pavilion to the hospital will face east, symbolizing, the start of life, the spring, purity, warmth, light, and new beginnings, inspired by the Medicine Wheel. This circular space reflects the four sacred medicines which include tobacco, cedar, sage, and sweetgrass, guiding the building’s overall layout and wayfinding. A traditional healing space is featured in the lobby, with a two-storey centrepiece and clerestory glazing to symbolize the connection to the Creator.

Part of the WAHA corporate logo, the Cree Medicine Wheel, is a symbol of balance as well as the interconnectedness of all things. It recognizes the seven generational views, encompassing the past, present, and future, acknowledging the knowledge and wisdom from previous generations that has been passed down through storytelling and the guidance of Elders.

In the Weeneebayko region, there exists a deep interconnection between the land, nature, water, and community. These elements all served as guiding principles for the design of the entire campus.