EAST GWILLIMBURY — The Ontario government is investing $10 million to advance plans for Southlake Health’s new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury as well as the redevelopment of Southlake Health’s existing hospital in Newmarket. Together, these projects will connect more than 250,000 people across communities in northern York Region and southern Simcoe County to more convenient, high-quality care close to home.
“Our government is delivering on our plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system by investing $64 billion to build and upgrade over 50 hospitals across the province,” said Premier Doug Ford. “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.”
The new funding will support a distributed health network by advancing early planning for a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury, near the site of the future Bradford Bypass. Once opened, the new hospital would include:
- Expanded acute and post-acute care, including medicine, surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation, maternal and child health, and pediatric mental health
- Increased inpatient capacity to meet the community’s future needs and allow more people to connect to care sooner
- New emergency department with diagnostic imaging and upgraded infection prevention and control measures.
“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system, ensuring people of all ages can connect to the care they need, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This investment for a new hospital and redeveloped facilities at Southlake Health is another important step in building a stronger health-care system in York Region and Simcoe County that will connect more people and families to the care they need.”
The current Southlake Hospital in Newmarket will be renovated and modernized, with more inpatient beds and expanded emergency capacity. The redevelopment will ensure the hospital can continue to meet the health-care needs of local communities, support increased patient volumes and work efficiently in conjunction with the new hospital.
“Today marks a defining moment for Southlake Health as we take a major step forward in transforming care across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County,” said Paul Woods, President and CEO of Southlake Health. “The Government of Ontario's investment and endorsement of our vision to build a Distributed Health Network will create a more integrated, sustainable local health-care system for generations to come. We are grateful to Premier Ford, Minister Jones and all our provincial and municipal partners for their leadership. Together, we will continue to deliver leading-edge care, close to home.”
The new hospital and redevelopment will build on a number of previous investments the government has made in the region including:
- Investing approximately $1.8 million to create and expand two primary care teams in the greater Georgina area, connecting up to 3,400 people to care as part of the 2026–27 primary care expansion
- Adding a new Southlake Family Health Team with approximately $850,000 in funding to connect an additional 2,400 residents to primary care as part of the 2025–26 expansion of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan
- Over $6.5 million to support the expansion of Southlake’s Adult Inpatient Mental Health Unit, which will add 12 new mental health beds and support spaces
- Over $5.3 million to support cancer care services at Southlake, with a new linear accelerator
- Over $3.8 million to support diagnostic imaging at Southlake, with new Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography equipment.
Through
Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to expand and modernize Ontario’s hospitals, making it faster and easier for people of all ages to connect to the high-quality care they need, where and when they need it.
Quick Facts- As a next step, the Ministry of Health is working with Southlake Health to complete early planning for the new hospital, including determining bed numbers and square footage. Once further planning is completed and the project is tendered and awarded, a construction schedule will be confirmed.
- Southlake Health provides a wide range of health-care services to patients in York Region and Simcoe County, including advanced regional programs such as cancer care and cardiac care.
- Over the next 10 years, Ontario is investing approximately $64 billion in major health infrastructure. This is part of the government’s plan to get shovels in the ground on more than 50 major hospital projects across the province, which will deliver approximately 3,000 new hospital beds to enhance access to quality care and build a connected, people-first health-care system.
- The Ontario government invested $257 million in 2025-26 to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 126 hospitals and 66 community health-care facilities across the province, a 12.3 per cent increase from the previous year.
- In 2025-26, Southlake Health received over $2.9 million through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund to support the critical infrastructure needs of its hospital.