• Durham Region is one of the fastest-growing areas in Canada, with the population expected to almost double to 1.2 million by 2041. Whitby will be one of the fastest growing municipalities during that time.
• Over the next 20 years, the fastest growing sub-set of the population in Durham Region will be people over the age of 90, with significant growth in all groups aged 65 and older.
• In Whitby, according to the most recent population projections, approximately 30,000 Whitby residents will be turning age 65 in the next 15 years.
• The Province of Ontario projects that the number of seniors age 65 years and over will double from 2.2 million in 2015 to 4.5 million by 2041.
• By the year 2030, it is expected that more than a quarter of all Canadians will be over the age of 65.

• February 2021: Council approved a new preferred site located at the south east corner of Highway 407 and Lakeridge Road
• 2019: Town establishes a Hospital Task Force to lead the development of the business case for a new Durham Central hospital to be located in Whitby
• 2018: the Ontario Government announced its support for the new hospital in its 2018 Budget.
• 2017: Lakeridge Health initiated a Master Planning process to create a roadmap for the facilities and infrastructure improvements and expansion required to meet the needs of the community for the next five, 10, 20 years and beyond.  A new hospital is noted as an important part of their Master Plan.
• 2015: the Ontario Government-appointed Scarborough/West Durham Expert Panel recommended that a new comprehensive acute care hospital should be constructed for Durham Region.

Why has a new Whitby site been selected?

In 2019, Council endorsed a Whitby location on the southwest quadrant of Baldwin Street and Highway 407 as the future site of the new Lakeridge Health Acute Care hospital. Council also established a Hospital Task Force in 2019 to prepare Whitby for the siting process for a new hospital in Durham Region. Since that time, new information has become available indicating that a larger site may be required in order to accommodate the size of the hospital and a long term care facility. In addition, in October 2020, Council requested that the Hospital Task Force review alternate sites for consideration.

The Task Force completed a thorough review of all available sites and recommended a preferred site, currently owned by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) located on the southeast quadrant of Highway 407 and Lake Ridge Road. This site was endorsed as the preferred site by Whitby Council in February 2021.