Ontario Building a Stronger, More Resilient Hospice Niagara
Ministry of Health
2022-05-03 11:30:00

NIAGARA — As part of its plan to stay open, the Ontario government is investing $4 million to expand Hospice Niagara by adding two new Hospice Palliative Care Centres of Excellence in Welland and Fort Erie. This investment will support the planning and construction of the two centres that will add 20 new hospice beds for all of Niagara. This will increase access to compassionate, high-quality palliative care for families in the Niagara region as the province continues to build a stronger, more resilient health care system that is better prepared to respond to crisis.

“Expanding Hospice Niagara by building two new hospice palliative care centres is another way our government is building a stronger, more resilient health care system that is focused on the needs of patients,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This funding will provide more people with end-of-life care in a comfortable home-like space close to their loved ones and ensure that they receive the respect, dignity and care they deserve.”

Hospice Niagara currently operates 10 hospice beds out of its St. Catharines site. The two new hospice palliative care centres will add 20 new hospice beds, bringing the total number of hospice beds operated by Hospice Niagara to 30 for all of Niagara. These beds will help to ensure that people and their loved ones receive compassionate end-of-life care and support closer to home during one of the most difficult times in life.

Once open, the province will provide an additional $2.1 million annually in operational funding to support end-of-life care services for more than 500 people per year at the two new centres. This funding is in addition to the nearly $1 million provided annually to support end-of-life care at Hospice Niagara’s existing site in St. Catharines.

“In our lifetime, we all experience death, dying, grief and loss,” said Carol Nagy, Executive Director of Hospice Niagara. “Increasing capacity in hospice palliative care ensures that every person receives the high-quality of care they expect and deserve, for generations to come.”

The hospice sector is crucial to Ontario’s strategy to build a stronger, more resilient health system centered around the needs of patients, as it provides people and caregivers with additional options for end-of-life care outside of hospitals.

"Having introduced and seen the passage of the Compassionate Care Act, I have long been a passionate advocate of hospice care in Niagara and across the province," said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. "This new support reaffirms our government's commitment to high-quality palliative care in our region and the extraordinary work of the leadership and frontline team at Hospice Niagara."