By Dr. David Ceglie, CEO
Over the past several years, we’ve been working steadily – and thoughtfully – toward the future of Hotel Dieu Shaver.
Today, I’m pleased to share an important milestone in that journey: we have formally submitted our Functional Program to the Ministry of Health.
This is a significant step forward in the provincial capital planning process. The Functional Program is a comprehensive document that outlines how our future hospital will operate -- translating the care we provide today into the spaces, services, and infrastructure required to meet the needs of our community tomorrow.
It reflects months of detailed planning, collaboration, and engagement across our organization.
What makes this milestone particularly meaningful is how it was achieved.
Throughout this process, we have had the benefit of deep engagement from our staff, physicians, volunteers, and learners. Through workshops, discussions, and ongoing feedback, our teams have helped shape a plan that is grounded in real-world experience -- how care is delivered, how teams work together, and how we can best support our patients and their families.
That input is reflected in every aspect of the submission.
The Functional Program is more than a technical requirement. It is a tangible expression of our mission, vision, and organizational values that shape how we care for patients and how we work together. It reflects who we are as a hospital today and who we aspire to become, translating our commitment to compassionate, high-quality rehabilitation and complex care into the spaces we design. By aligning the built environment with our cultural priorities of collaboration, inclusion, innovation, and continuous improvement, the Functional Program establishes the foundation for a modern, purpose-built facility that supports exceptional patient outcomes and empowers our teams to do their best work every day.
Staff are taken through a design workshop to review elements of the Functional Program and gather feedback.
With the submission now complete, the project will move into the Ministry’s review phase. This is a standard and important part of the process, ensuring alignment between our proposed plans and provincial priorities.
As always, we remain committed to working collaboratively with our partners as the project continues to advance.
In parallel, we will continue engaging with stakeholders and preparing for the next phase of the project – Stage 2: Design – which will bring further opportunities to shape what our future hospital will look and feel like.
There is still important work ahead, but moments like this are worth pausing to recognize.
This milestone represents years of dedication, planning, and belief in what is possible for our hospital and the patients we serve.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to getting us here.
We look forward to continuing this journey together.
With appreciation,
Dr. David Ceglie
CEO, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre