The City of Mississauga is stepping up to support the construction of a much-needed hospice facility, set to open in 2027.

On Wednesday, city councillors unanimously agreed to lend Hospice Mississauga $16.25 million to help complete the project, which is projected to cost between $28 million and $33 million. The facility is scheduled to open in spring 2027, according to hospice officials.

Ward 8 Councillor and Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney expressed his enthusiasm during the city’s general committee meeting, reflecting on a similar proposal in his ward years ago that never materialized. “I’m very excited that this one is moving forward,” he said. “For a city our size, not having a hospice is something that needs to be addressed.”

Having been unable to secure funding from Infrastructure Ontario or other major financial institutions, Hospice Mississauga approached the city this week for support—either through a loan, a partnership, or by having the city act as a loan guarantor.

Council members agreed to partner with the organization to make the 12-bed hospice a reality. City leaders have long emphasized the need for a permanent hospice facility in Mississauga, Canada’s seventh-largest city.

At a council meeting in December 2023, then-Ward 5 Councillor and now Mayor Carolyn Parrish called the absence of a hospice in a city of 720,000 people “embarrassing.”

Kitrina Fex, Executive Director of Hospice Mississauga, has echoed this view, pointing out that Mississauga is the third-largest city in Ontario and the largest in Canada without its own hospice.

Previously known as Heart House Hospice, the organization had been offering end-of-life care for 14 years without a dedicated facility. Fex emphasized the urgent need for a permanent location, especially given the city’s rapidly aging population.

The new centre will be the first hospice in Mississauga and will serve residents of both Mississauga and Brampton. According to the province, the addition of 12 beds will increase the total number of adult and pediatric hospice beds in Peel and Halton to 30.

Fex called the development an “historic milestone,” noting it reflects the power of collaboration between community and government. “After nearly 40 years of serving the community, we’re making a longtime dream a reality,” she said. “This centre will complete the continuum of care by providing the full range of hospice services under one roof for Mississauga.”