East Gwillimbury site selected for new hospital branch of Southlake
Posted April 27, 2026
The Ontario government is committing $10 million to begin planning a new acute-care hospital in East Gwillimbury and the redevelopment of Southlake Health’s aging Newmarket site, a move aimed at easing pressure on one of the fastest-growing corridors north of Toronto.
The province said the paired projects are intended to serve more than 250,000 residents across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County, where rapid population growth has increased demand for emergency, inpatient and specialized hospital care.
Premier Doug Ford announced the funding Monday, describing it as part of Ontario’s broader $64-billion hospital infrastructure program over the next decade.
The East Gwillimbury hospital would be built near the future Bradford Bypass and is envisioned as part of a “distributed health network” operating alongside the Newmarket campus. It would provide acute and post-acute services, including medicine, surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation, maternal and child health, and pediatric mental health care.
Plans also call for a new emergency department, diagnostic imaging and updated infection-control systems.
The existing Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket would be renovated and expanded, with additional inpatient beds and more emergency capacity.
Provincial officials said the modernization is intended to help the hospital manage growing patient volumes while sharing services with the proposed new site.
The announcement does not include a construction timeline. The Ministry of Health said it is now working with Southlake Health on early planning, including determining bed counts, building size and procurement schedules.
For York Region and Simcoe County municipalities such as Bradford West Gwillimbury, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Newmarket and parts of south Simcoe, the investment signals a potential redistribution of hospital services closer to newer suburban communities that have relied heavily on the Newmarket campus.
Southlake Health currently provides regional cancer and cardiac care in addition to general hospital services.
The $10-million planning grant adds to earlier provincial spending in the region, including more than $6.5 million to expand Southlake’s adult inpatient mental health unit with 12 new beds, $5.3 million for a new cancer-treatment linear accelerator, and $3.8 million for upgraded PET/CT diagnostic imaging equipment.
The province also said Southlake received more than $2.9 million in 2025-26 through Ontario’s Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund for repairs and critical upgrades.
““With today’s announcement of a new, state-of-the-art hospital in East Gwillimbury and the redevelopment of Southlake Health in Newmarket, we’re ensuring that people in York Region and Simcoe County have reliable access to world-class care for generations to come,” said Premier Doug Ford.
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Story aided by AI
