Inside Oakville’s Hospital Expansion: Q&A with Al Coady
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Expanding hospital capacity
An exciting new acute medical bed capacity expansion project at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital [link to latest announcement] kicked off in early June 2026. Approximately 80,000 square feet of modern, patient-centred care spaces are being built to support the growing needs of our community and region. This expansion is part of a broader regional effort, with Halton Healthcare adding a total of 123 new acute care beds across the region, including adding capacity at Milton District Hospital. When Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) was built, it included “shelled space” which is unused, roughed in space which could be built out later when needed. It was incredibly forward-thinking to have this part of the existing building’s footprint.
In this interview, Al Coady, Halton Healthcare’s Senior Vice President, Redevelopment, Facilities & Retail Operations, offers an insider’s look at this construction project, the spaces being built, and how this time- and cost-efficient approach ismeeting the growing needs of the communities we serve.
Q: Can you describe what is being built at the hospital?
We are expanding into “shelled spaces” — unfinished areas built into the original hospital redevelopment in 2015. This project will add 111 beds: 19 on the third floor, 20 on the fourth floor and 72 on the eighth floor. An additional 12 beds will be added in Milton as part of the project. Eighty percent of the new inpatient rooms will be private, with the remaining 20 percent semi-private.
The design of the new space will replicate existing floors at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility that continues to meet industry best practices. Everything has been designed to the same high standard for materials, processes and construction waste management that has allowed the hospital to achieve LEED Gold Certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is designated when a building is highly-efficient, healthy andcost –effective.
Q: Why is this space being built out now?
This hospital was designed with space to expand to accommodate the future needs of our growing communities [link to Adrienne Q&A]. It’s time to complete the original vision for expanded bed capacity and create more space for high-quality acute medical care.
The project will support shorter wait times for inpatient beds, reduced wait times within the Emergency department and better patient flow and experiences right across the hospital and system.
New spaces designed for patients and care teams
Q: What are some of the features of the new spaces?
Efficiency for care teams is central to the design, with nursing stations positioned to reduce travel and provide clear sightlines from the corridor. There will be charting space outside each room. Patient rooms will be large and open, making it easyfor teams to move around bed when providing high quality, compassionate care.
New features include increased outlets on headwalls (which provide access to medical utilities, electrical and communication systems), providing the patient rooms with greater flexibility to meet different patient needs such as complex care, mobility support, or isolation requirements. Floor eight will include windows within patient room doors to give care teams a clear line of sight without needing to enter the room for increased monitoring and visibility. Floor eight will also include isolation vestibules in the north and south areas, providing an added layer of infection control to keep patients and care teams safe.
Q: What features will patients and families notice?
Comfort for patients and families is another key feature. Family areas will include furniture that allows loved ones to sit comfortably and, when needed, stay overnight.
For patients, their rooms will have plenty of natural light. Drop windowsills will allow patients to see out while lying down, and rooms on the west side of the building will overlook the escarpment. Patients will also be able to control lights and temperature at the bedside, and their room doors will include windows with electronic blinds, offering sound privacy.
Expansion timeline
Q: When will construction begin? How long will it take?
Construction is underway, and the full project, including equipping the rooms, is expected to be completed by early 2028: an approximate two-year duration.
Q: What changes will be visible to community members?
Construction at OTMH will begin on the 8th Floor South Block, with work on the 3rd and 4th floors to follow. Construction hours are expected to be: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. With patient comfort in mind, louder work will not begin before 8:30 a.m. to give patients adequate time to rest and have breakfast. Because construction is taking place within the existing building, most of the work will happen behind closed doors. Imagine finishing a basement: the structure and utilities are already there, and the next step is building out the rooms, then furnishing and equipping them.
Community members may notice temporary trailers around the building, a crane to lift equipment up and down, and an external elevator. If you’re at the hospital, you may see steel studs, drywall, and flooring being brought in and, as the project progresses, fixtures, furniture and equipment starting to arrive.
A community effort
Q: What role does community support play in bringing this space to life?
Our communities have helped to shape this hospital from the beginning, influencing everything from the original design and location to the number and placement of entrances. Patient and family advisors also helped guide the plan to replicate the existing floors while making targeted improvements.
The support of the provincial government has been critical in making this project a possibility with the cost of construction being mostly covered by the province. The hospital itself is responsible for a share of the construction costs and for all costs of furnishing, fitting out, and equipping the spaces. This includes the costs of beds, bedside furniture, computers, medical equipment, roughly 40 ventilators, ten pharmacy dispensing units and many other items needed to open 111 new beds.Community support will play an important role in helping to furnish and equip these new spaces.
Q: What are you most looking forward to when this space opens?
This project fulfills the hospital’s original vision of building with room to grow, and I’m proud to help bring that vision to life. At the same time, planning for growth never stops. Even as this expansion moves forward, we’re thinking about what our communities will need in the next 20 to 30 years. This project bridges the past and the future.
Would you like to learn more about this project and its impact? Visit the shelled space expansion project page to learn more and to get the latest updates.
