’Burg hospital fundraising halfway home
By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Hometown health care in Wallaceburg has hit another milestone.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation officially launched the Our Hospital, Our Future Wallaceburg Site Redevelopment fundraising campaign recently, with a goal of raising $9 million.
That’s the community’s portion of the build that will see a re-imagined emergency department and other state-of-the-art services. The project could break ground as early as the summer 2026, CKHA president and CEO Adam Topp told the crowd, with construction on the full-service emergency department to take an estimated two years.
“The next time we get this group together, we’ll have our 20,000-square-foot building,” he said, noting he was excited to unveil renderings of the new structure that were on display at the event.
“We have been working really hard to make sure that the building we’re going to build represents the community and the wonderful town of Wallaceburg,” he said, noting getting shovels in the ground could take up to two years.
According to Topp, the three-stage capital project is nearing the end of its second phase, with detailed drawings about to be submitted to the province for approval. After that, he said the project will go out to tender followed by construction.
The drive is already halfway to the goal. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent committed $4.5-million towards the redevelopment in 2023 and the Sydenham Ladies Auxiliary is pitching in $100,000.
A number of accomplishments in the site’s redevelopment have been made in recent years. This includes the completion of the replacement power plant in 2022, made possible through a $7.3 million investment from the province in 2020.
A new medical daycare facility was opened in 2023.
The province has committed $42 million for the capital project.
CKHA Foundation president and CEO Christine Mitchell echoed Topp on the hospital’s importance to Wallaceburg and area.
“This hospital isn’t just a building – it’s an important part of the history of this community, and today we celebrate that history while also looking towards a bright future for health care here in Wallaceburg and Chatham-Kent,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell called the fundraising launch exciting, noting donors can now see renderings and drawings of the new site – providing a concrete visual for donors.
“We want to continue to engage with the community, to invite them to be with us every step of the way,” she said.
Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor, who brought greetings on behalf of Chatham-Kent, said she’s looking forward to standing on the site “with a shovel” next year.
In his comments, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault praised his predecessor Monte McNaughton for taking up the cause to keep Wallaceburg’s hospital open.
“Monte tirelessly advocated for this hospital,” Pinsonneault said. “His deep commitment got us over the threshold of the province getting funding here. I’m looking forward to carrying on Monte’s legacy.”
Officials also paid homage to the dogged determination of Save Our Sydenham – the grassroots group formed 16 years ago to stop the proposed closure of the hospital.
S.O.S. founding chairman Jeff Wesley and current chair Conrad Noel also took to the podium. Both men expressed their appreciation to officials and the community for making the hospital’s renewal a reality.
“Thank you all for making a difference,” Wesley said, adding the fundraising drive is the final task remaining.
