Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice moves forward

The Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice sign on Nanticoke Creek Parkway, at the site of the future Williamson House, says ‘We’re growing with compassion.’ Construction of the new hospice near Jarvis is expected to be completed in 2028. 

Chris Abbott

Editor

It took seven years, from their first steps to officially breaking ground, for the Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice to reach the ‘construction-ready’ phase for The Williamson House palliative care centre.

“The Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice was founded in 2019 with a simple but profound vision: that people living with life-limiting illness, and their families, deserve compassionate care, dignity and humanity throughout the end-of-life journey,” said MPP Bobbi Ann Brady at the official ground-breaking ceremony in Jarvis on Sept. 23.

At the time, Brady said she remembered the compassion and believing the hospice was something the community desperately needed.

“Seven years later, here we are,” said Brady. “There have been hurdles. There have been moments when this day may have seemed impossible. But this committee never stopped believing. They never took no for an answer.”

Brady thanked the hospice committee for their perseverance, faith and willingness to keep bringing people together to move their dream forward.

“Ultimately, that is what this is about. It’s about people. People coming together in small communities to do something extraordinary for the greater good. 

And there could not be a better place for this hospice than Jarvis – right here in the heart of Haldimand-Norfolk, surrounded by the people and communities it will serve.”

Brady also recognized the Williamson family, and their generosity in providing an extraordinary gift – a 10-acre parcel of land.

“I think of all of us standing here today who have loved someone at the end of their life. Perhaps you have held a parent’s hand, sat beside a spouse, comforted a friend, or watched someone you love take their final breath. Many of us can think of someone who might have found peace, comfort and dignity in a place like this in their final days.

“Today, we aren’t simply breaking ground on a building. We are laying the foundation for a place where families will find comfort, where people will be treated with dignity, and where compassion will be at the centre of care.

“For all the years of work, all the obstacles overcome, and all the people who believed – today we finally get to say, ‘We are building Williamson House, ‘and as your MPP, I could not be more proud to stand here with all of you.”