Pioneering Public-Private Partnerships: How EllisDon Set a New Standard for Public Infrastructure

What does EllisDon build? Simply put: everything our communities rely on. Whether it’s the hospitals where we receive care, the schools where we learn, or the transit systems that move us, public infrastructure forms the backbone of daily life. They enable economic growth, support quality of life, and ensure that people can access the services they depend on. Naturally, as these needs grew, governments and industry began looking for more efficient and innovative ways to deliver this kind of critical infrastructure.

First introduced in Canada in the early 1990s, Public‑Private Partnerships (P3s) emerged as a model that enables private partners to design, finance, construct, operate, and maintain public projects. Unlike traditional procurement models, the public sector integrates multiple parts of a project under one contract. This allows risk to be assigned to the partner best positioned to manage it, fosters timely delivery, supports planning for the full life cycle of the asset, and makes use of private-sector capital and expertise.

In 2003, EllisDon became one of the first Canadian construction companies to take equity positions in P3 projects, signaling our commitment to leading this emerging model of project delivery. Just one year later, the Brampton Civic Hospital (part of the William Osler Health System) reached Financial Close. This milestone marked EllisDon’s first P3 project and represented the first major acute‑care hospital P3 in Canada. Inclusive of a 25‑year facility services contract, its success set a precedent for future healthcare partnerships across the country and influenced the evolution of P3s.

Staying aligned from start to finish ultimately shaped our Cradle‑to‑Grave philosophy: we design, we build, we finance, we digitize, we equip, we operate, we manage. Design is a core pillar of this model, enabling us to anticipate operational needs, lower lifecycle costs, and support more efficient construction. Our Design‑Build teams work closely with construction from day one, ensuring every technical and architectural decision supports long‑term performance.

Facilities Services is a natural extension of this integrated approach and is distinguished by the breadth and depth of expertise we bring to a project. As the largest Facilities Management group in the industry, we keep buildings running at the highest standard through essential operations and hands‑on maintenance. Led by our in‑house experts across infrastructure, construction, and technology, we’re equipped to manage some of the most complex facilities, including 17 P3s.

By being involved at every stage, we deliver consistent value, build solid relationships, and maintain better control over project risks. This strategy has helped us grow into one of the most diverse organizations in the P3 space over the past 23 years, reflected in both our divisions and the people behind them. And we have a few notable firsts that demonstrate that progress.

A key example is the Emily Carr University of Art + Design project, which marked a major milestone in Canadian infrastructure as the country’s first post-secondary institution delivered through a P3 model. Located on a three-acre site at Vancouver’s Great Northern Way campus, the facility was co-developed and constructed by EllisDon and now supports over 1,800 students in a space designed to inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

Similarly, the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre (BLCOC) is a cornerstone of Nova Scotia’s ongoing healthcare renewal and the province’s first P3 healthcare project. Located on a 15‑acre property in Halifax’s Bayers Lake Business Park, the BLCOC includes 104 clinical spaces and offers a wide range of services, from primary care and diagnostic imaging to eye care and orthopedic rehabilitation. The facility is redefining how and where local residents access healthcare and our team is ensuring the building operates at the highest standard throughout the 30‑year maintenance term.

Today, EllisDon is a global construction services and technology company that has reached Financial Close on 57 P3 projects. Supported by over $306 million in equity and more than $17 billion in private capital, we continue to set the standard for Canadian public infrastructure and raise the expectations that come with it.

As we mark our 75th anniversary, we are simultaneously embarking on Canada’s largest hospital redevelopment project. Valued at $13.9 billion, The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital and Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children*represent a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity which will meet the needs of one of the country’s most diverse and rapidly growing communities. Being delivered using a progressive design‑build‑finance‑maintain model, the first of its kind in Ontario, this transformative project brings together the strengths of government, industry leaders, and clinical experts working toward a shared vision.

While our journey into the P3 world began with a courageous decision, it was that willingness to shoulder all the responsibility that laid the foundation for everything that followed. Now, together with our people, we’re making history and shaping a legacy that will influence how public infrastructure is envisioned, delivered, and experienced worldwide. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

*The Trillium M Project Consortium General Partnership, led by ED+PCL Healthcare Partners, was selected by Infrastructure Ontario and Trillium Health Partners to design, build, finance, and maintain The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital and Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children