Bowmanville Hospital is moving ahead with another redevelopment milestone after Lakeridge Health acquired land beside the hospital for a new surface parking lot.
The Bowmanville Hospital parking expansion will use land on the north side of Queen Street, adjacent to the hospital. The Bowmanville Hospital Foundation says the additional parking capacity is intended to support the larger redevelopment project and improve access as the hospital prepares for major growth.
The land acquisition was announced by the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation in July and was made possible through a partnership with the Rice family, which has supported the hospital for decades.
Rice family helps make new parking possible
According to the foundation, John and Janet Rice had long envisioned their family property helping meet future health-care needs in Bowmanville. Their son, Andrew Rice, later worked to advance that plan as the redevelopment moved closer to construction.
Preparing the property required relocating four families and two businesses and removing six buildings, according to the foundation.
The site will become a new surface parking lot serving the redeveloped hospital.
The Rice family’s connection to the hospital dates back to 1971, when the family provided another piece of land that was eventually used for the hospital’s former helipad.
The new land acquisition gives Lakeridge Health additional space beside the existing hospital campus at a time when future parking demand is expected to increase significantly.
Hospital redevelopment will more than double its size
The Bowmanville Hospital redevelopment is one of the largest health-care infrastructure projects planned for Clarington.
Infrastructure Ontario said in June that the expansion will more than double the size of the current hospital and increase health-care capacity across Durham Region.
Planned features include expanded critical-care services, private patient rooms, ambulatory care clinics and a haemodialysis centre. Previous project plans have also included a rooftop helipad, additional green space and improved parking for patients, visitors, staff and volunteers.
The new Bowmanville Hospital parking lot is an enabling project rather than the main hospital construction itself, but it addresses a practical issue that will become more important as the campus grows.
Hospital project remains in procurement
The redevelopment has also reached a major procurement stage.
Infrastructure Ontario closed the request-for-proposals process on June 23 after receiving submissions from two shortlisted teams: Bowmanville Health Partners and PCL Partnerships.
Lakeridge Health and Infrastructure Ontario are evaluating those proposals, with a successful proponent expected to be announced in fall 2026, subject to final approvals.
Construction is expected to move forward after the procurement process and contract award are completed.
Parking supports future patient access
The additional surface lot is intended to provide more capacity close to the hospital as patient volumes, staff numbers and services increase.
Bowmanville Hospital currently serves Clarington and surrounding Durham communities, and the redevelopment is designed to increase access to more advanced care closer to home.
Lakeridge Health President and CEO Cynthia Davis said the project depends on support from the broader community, including the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation and local partners.
The Bowmanville Hospital parking acquisition is therefore one piece of a much larger redevelopment effort that includes hospital construction, expanded clinical services and supporting infrastructure.
For residents, the immediate change is the preparation of additional land beside the hospital. The larger milestone will come when the redevelopment contract is awarded and construction begins.
