Former northern Ont. paper mill selected as hub for construction of $1.8B health care facility in the Far North
Abitibi Connex in Iroquois Falls will be the logistics hub for the construction of a major health facility on the coast of Hudson Bay.
Pomerleau, one of Canada's largest construction firms, has selected Abitibi Connex to support the $1.8 billion Weeneebayko Area Health Authority redevelopment project in Moosonee and Moose Factory.
Art rendering WAHA hospital
An art rendering of the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority's future state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Moosonee, Ont. (Supplied/Infrastructure Ontario)
'The project includes a new hospital in Moosonee featuring 36 private inpatient beds, a 32-bed long-term Elder Care Lodge, a 24-hour emergency department, modern surgical suites and more,' said a news release this week.
The hub will be used to 'co-ordinate material delivery for constructing a new regional health-care campus that will serve patients and clients living along Ontario's James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts.'
The project includes an ambulatory care centre in Moose Factory that will provide 'culturally appropriate care for everyone living in the western James Bay and Hudson Bay coastal regions of Ontario,' the release said.
Upgraded rail line
'This July, Pomerleau and Pinnacle Logistics Solutions Ltd. launched material transfers to Abitibi Connex, coordinating construction supplies through the former paper mill site that BMI Group and Dutch investment group Business-EQ have redeveloped.'
Ontario Northland Rail is upgrading 11.5 kilometres of rail spur to create a direct connection from Iroquois Falls to the Cochrane junction, where materials will be moved north to Moosonee.
The operation will handle approximately 3,000 rail cars through Abitibi Connex over three years and create an estimated 120 jobs during peak construction.
WAHA campus entrance
An art rendering of the entrance of Weeneebayko Area Health Authority's future state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Moosonee, Ont. (Supplied/Infrastructure Ontario)
The new health facility aims to address a critical service gap in northern Ontario, where residents often travel hundreds of kilometers for specialized care.
'Once complete, these modern facilities will provide emergency, acute and specialty health care in spaces that culturally reflect local traditions and healing practices,' the release said.
Construction is expected to be complete in 2030.
Weeneebayko General Hospital
Originally built in 1950 to sequester tuberculosis patients, the now-called Weeneebayko General Hospital is in such a state of disrepair that local health officials call it one of the worst hospitals in the country. (File)
'This partnership demonstrates the complex logistics coordination needed for major northern development, and the success partnerships like this bring to them,' Frank Devries, GM of Pinnacle Logistics Solutions, said in the news release.
'Abitibi Connex demonstrates how existing infrastructure can be re-tooled to catalyze major regional projects,' John Veldman, BMI Group's chief operating officer, said in the release.
The Abitibi Connex site is being developed in collaboration with the Town of Iroquois Falls and J.L. Richards & Associates, which led the planning process for the former mill and surrounding lands.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new launch of Abitibi Connex will take place July 25 at 1:30 p.m.
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