A construction consortium led by Pomerleau has been awarded the fixed-price contract to build the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) project in Northern Ontario.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and WAHA announced the news on October 3. The contract is valued at $1.8 billion, and will see the Pomerleau Health Partners team design, build and finance the project.

The Pomerleau Health Partners team includes applicant lead and constructors Pomerleau Inc., designers Kasian Architects Ontario Inc. and Bertrand Wheeler Architecture Inc., and financial advisor PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

The project is being delivered using a progressive public-private partnership approach, which fosters collaborative development of project requirements, design, pricing and risk management.

The work itself involves the construction of a new regional hospital, Elder Care Lodge, visitor hostel and staff accommodations in Moosonee and a new Ambulatory Care Centre on Moose Factory Island.

Once complete, the facilities will support WAHA in providing culturally sensitive healthcare to patients and clients living along Ontario’s James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts, many of whom are Indigenous.

IO and WAHA entered into a development phase agreement with Pomerleau Inc. in January 2023 following a request for proposals process that began in January 2022. TDuring that phase the team worked with IO and WAHA, as well as with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Long-Term Care, and Indigenous Services Canada to define and refine project requirements to advance the design and confirm fixed pricing.

Now that the development phase is complete and the P3 contract has been awarded, Pomerleau Health Partners is on site to redevelop the hospital.

Construction is expected to be complete in 2030.