Redeveloping LHSC to meet future health needs will require local financial contribution

Hospital-based healthcare is usually considered a financial responsibility of the provincial government, but an upcoming plan to reimagine and redevelop the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) will also require local funding.
On Tuesday, President and CEO of LHSC Dr. Jackie Schleifer Taylor told a city council committee about the development of the hospital’s upcoming master plan aimed at meeting the healthcare needs of the community for decades to come.
“Our obligation, duty, and commitment [is] to partner in this, and our assurance to the City of London and Londoners [that] everything possible is being done to make the best plan,” Schleifer Taylor told the committee.
As the community hospital for Ontario’s fastest growing city, LHSC detailed several challenges predicted by 2040:
- Inpatient beds = 60 per cent increase
- Day surgeries = 20 per cent increase
- Inpatient surgeries = 25 per cent increase
- ED visits = 25 per cent increase
- Ambulatory care visits = 30 per cent increase
LHSC leadership anticipates the detailed master plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Health this summer.
The province may potentially require a local contribution of 10 per cent that could be shared by city hall, the hospital’s foundations, and other sources.
The municipal contribution will likely be known in time for multi-year budget deliberations by city council early next year.
“We’re really working hard to be able to have a sense of that [cost] to align with the City of London’s budgeting process,” Schleifer Taylor told CTV News London. “We certainly have started our outreach to the community, in mind with aligning not only with their budget process but also the city of London’s strategic plans.”
LHSC is the city’s largest employer, with about 15,000 staff.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Trudeau says Conservative interference study motion won't be a confidence vote
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the vote later today on the Conservative motion calling for a new study into foreign interference will not be a confidence vote.

Inflation in Canada: February saw largest deceleration since April 2020
The annual pace of inflation cooled in February as it posted its largest deceleration since April 2020.
opinion | What happens if you mistakenly get a larger tax refund?
Was your 2022 tax refund larger than you expected it to be?
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial begins for Deer Valley ski crash
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
U.S. teacher shot by 6-year-old speaks out: 'It's changed me'
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
opinion | Tom Mulcair: A climate of change for the Liberals
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just released a new report and its alarming conclusions are a must-read for anyone who cares about what kind of planet we’re going to leave to our kids, writes former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
'Here I Am' photo gallery showcases older Canadians with Down syndrome
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to mark the occasion a Canadian organization launched a campaign showcasing older people living with the condition.
Nordstrom Canada liquidation sales expected to begin today as store prepares for exit
Nordstrom is expected to begin liquidating its stores across Canada today.
Report calls for restricting marketing to kids in grocery stores, restaurants
A new report that looks at the prevalence of marketing to children inside grocery stores and restaurants suggests regulation is needed to help reduce unhealthy food temptations.