Community needs to raise $7.5M to build new West Niagara Hospital

'No matter how you look at this, it's good news.'

Officials planning to build a new hospital in Grimsby to replace the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital on Main Street received some encouraging news this week.

Chair of the Building a Healthy Community Campaign, Andrew Smith, tells CKTB the process of building the hospital was refined recently showing that the community needs to come up with $50M, instead of the originally planned $60M.

"It is a fantastic story, no matter how you look at this it's good news for the community and Niagara with a new hospital coming to the table. With $10M less than what we originally thought."

While the Ontario government funds the majority of the construction costs, the community is on the hook for 10% of construction costs and 100% of equipment and furniture inside the new building.

The community still needs to raise $7.5M to get to the $50M mark.

After funding from Niagara municipalities, and donations already raised for the build, they are short $7.5M.

Smith says he is comfortable with that goal knowing the community has fought long and hard for a new hospital and the end is now in sight.

The hospital, which is being built on WLMH's current property, is expected to be complete in late 2024, or early 2025.