HUB meet and greet

Children at the HUB get a visit from construction workers

For the past few months, children and staff at the HUB Child & Family Centre have had a front row view of the new hospital construction. The children in particular have watched in awe as trucks and earth movers transformed the site, as cranes lifted pieces into place, and as concrete columns rose up. It was a chance meeting in a local grocery store with a HUB staff member that led Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) executive director Shannon Coull to understand just how much of an effect the construction was having on the children. She was told how the kids greeted the construction workers every morning as they arrived at the centre and how some of the construction workers would come over to give them a “high five” through the fence. “That stayed with me. It reminded me that this hospital isn’t just about being the first hospital of its kind in North America; it’s about people. The hospital is at the heart of the County and is a beacon of hope. And even our youngest community members are paying attention,” she said. “We’re not just building a brand new hospital, we’re building a community.”

Ms. Coull thought it would be a great idea to have some of the workers come over and meet the kids at the HUB. Last Wednesday, members from PECMHF, Quinte Health and from the construction company M. Sullivan & Son—who also brought along a backhoe— visited the kids at the HUB to show their appreciation. Senior project manager Andre Roy of M. Sullivan & Son also brought along some kid-sized hard hats and safety vests, and the company also donated a toy truck and trailer to the HUB. The kids, needless to say, were very excited. When Ms. Coull asked them whether they would like to be a construction worker when they grew up, almost all of them shouted “Yes!”

They played a short game of construction “I Spy” where they had to look for things such as hard hats or pylons or trucks on the site. After that, they all got a chance to sit in the cab of the backhoe before heading back inside.

Mr. Roy was delighted to be able to meet the children who have been earnestly watching the construction as it progressed. “I think it’s important to show and have these kids be a part of what we are building. We were all kids at one time and construction seems to be something that piques everybody’s curiosity. And kudos to the construction workers for acknowledging how important it is to show what they are doing and pay attention to these young kids,” he said. Mr. Roy said that construction is on schedule and going well. He noted that this type of mass-timber hospital construction—which he likened to assembling LEGO pieces—is unique in North America and is garnering worldwide attention. Construction is expected to be complete in January, 2027.