001-45_127_NOV-DEC_LAYOUT_PT - Flipbook - Page 39
PEOPLE & EVENTS
EVENTS
TORONTO
Ministry of Health, Infrastructure Ontario, and the construction team
directly to the same table. This allowed for a two-year collaborative
design development period prior to commercial close.
“(The model) gives both sides, client and general contractor more
certainty on what the design is ultimately going to end up as, it allows
for appropriate risk redistribution which isn’t really possible under
commercial tension in the typical model,” said Hunter.
by John Tenpenny
While forming a joint venture between traditional
competitors can introduce organizational anxiety,
project leaders had to admit “our own weaknesses
and exploit the other’s strengths, and vice versa,”
said Hunter.
“What we did was in the best interest of what was
required by the project, so we combined the best of
EllisDon and PCL into aa machine and a culture that
was bespoke for the Trillium Project, and there is really no distinction between EllisDon and PCL people
on site.”
According to Matthew Kenney, THP’s associate VP,
this union created a deep bench of specialized talent.
The setup fosters a culture of friendly competitive
tension that drives accountability, ensures mistakes
are corrected swiftly, and presents a single, seamless
team on-site.
Perhaps the most daunting task facing the team is
executing heavy civil construction directly adjacent
to an existing, fully operational hospital running
(L to R) Rod Gilbert, President, CCA; Marco Dipelino, PCL Construction; Scott Hunter, EllisDon;
24/7/365.
and Matthew Kenney, Trillium Health Partners.
Because delicate surgeries, intensive care, and
sensitive MRI scans are taking place just meters away,
environmental controls are non-negotiable. The team
AS ONE OF CANADA’S fastest growing and most diverse communiactively manages dust, noise, vibration, and scents to prevent any
ties, the City of Mississauga faces an increasingly urgent demand for
impact on patient safety.
expanded healthcare infrastructure. To meet this challenge, Trillium
“With the progressive design goal in the in the development phase
Health Partners (THP), alongside Infrastructure Ontario and the
we had the bene昀椀t of sitting around a table and going through the
Ministry of Health, has embarked on a landmark expansion: the condesign of this hospital, and with that came the construction phase and
struction of the Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital and Shaw Family
logistics plan around how we’re going to bring it into the hospital in
Hospital for Women and Children.
a way that allows the existing hospital to continue to operate,” said
A panel discussion at the Canadian Construction Association’s Best
Kenney.
Practices in Construction Symposium in Toronto featuring key project
Compounding these clinical sensitivities is a tight urban footprint.
leaders shed light on the scale, innovative procurement model, and
The site is e昀昀ectively “locked in” by a busy four-lane roadway, the
complex operational dynamics required to build what will become
active existing hospital campus, and adjacent construction for the new
one of the country’s most advanced healthcare campuses.
Hazel McCallion LRT line.
Designed to replace an aging facility, the new hospital will span
As the project advances, logistical pressures will only intensify.
2.8 million square feet across a 22-acre site located at the dense urban
Workforce management is slated to become increasingly complex as
intersection of Hurontario Street and The Queensway.
on-site activity peaks over the next two years, bringing an estimated
Before main construction could even begin, signi昀椀cant enabling
2,500 to 3,000 workers to the property simultaneously.
works had to be completed on the constrained site, including the
The central question now facing project leaders is how the team
installation of a 1,500-spot parking structure and the relocation of
will maintain daily construction productivity while orchestrating
existing long-term care facilities.
the movement of thousands of tradespeople, heavy machinery, and
To deliver a project of this magnitude, the team bypassed traditionmaterial deliveries within such a tightly constrained “sardine can”
al 昀椀xed-price P3 delivery models in favour of a Progressive Design
footprint—all while safeguarding the vital healthcare operations conBuild approach, being carried out by ED+PCL Healthcare Partners
tinuing right next door.
joint venture made up of EllisDon and PCL Construction. As Scott
“Because you know, once when you’re delivering projects of this
Hunter, VP, Operations with EllisDon explained, the traditional
scale, the challenge isn’t just building the building, right? It’s integratprocurement models often restrict direct client feedback through rigid
ing the people into the process,” said Marco Dipelino, general superinfairness monitoring.
tendent, operations with PCL Construction.
In contrast, the progressive model brought the owner (THP), the
RENEW CANADA
CCA Best Practices in
Construction Symposium
RENEWCANADA.NET
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 – RENEW CANADA 39
