Adaptive reuse of former hospital sites in Ontario: lessons learned from the planning process

Since the 1990s, Ontario’s health care system has faced a number of changes with respect to increasing expenses not reflected in the allotted funding for hospitals. The restructuring of Ontario’s hospital landscape has resulted in amalgamations, takeovers and closures leaving behind viable surplus hospital sites. This paper focuses on the municipal planning process of adaptive reuse through the lens of former hospitals sites in Ontario. The opportunities and challenges that currently exist in the planning process are examined through four case studies of former hospital sites: Sault Area Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines General Hospital in St. Catharines, St. Joseph's Hospital in Sudbury and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Peterborough. The findings are summarized in to a set of lessons learned from the planning process. These lessons can be used by municipalities to enhance the overall planning process for these former institutional buildings