Construction of the CHEO Integrated Treatment Centre in Ottawa reached a milestone on March 11 with the raising of the building’s final structural beam.

Once operational, the 200,000 square-foot centre will deliver enhanced care to more than 13,700 children and youth with special needs and their families, in eastern Ontario.

"This beam carries signatures and handprints today – signatures from some of the people who have made this project possible, but most importantly, the handprints of those kids this project is for,” said CHEO president and CEO Vera Etches. “Together, these signatures and handprints signal the shared vision of what care for children and youth can and should be. The ITC represents the next era of CHEO’s 10-year redevelopment plan, and a tangible step toward a future where services are coordinated, accessible, and designed with families at the centre."

The new centre, which will be connected to the CHEO hospital by a tunnel and will bring care providers together in one place, will provide patients and families with:

• rehabilitation services and support therapies on-site, such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech‑language therapy and recreation therapy
• coordinated care for children and youth with multiple or complex special needs, including supports through the Ontario Autism Program,
• supports and coordinated care through the Extensive Needs Service, which connects families with a multidisciplinary team, such as doctors, social workers and behavioural consultants, to provide tailored supports

Construction work is being delivered by a team led by EllisDon Infrastructure OCH Inc. The consortium was awarded a $317-million contract to build the project in September 2023.

Ground was broken on the project in April 2025, and the building is expected to be fully operational by 2028.