Alberta Cancer Foundation

The Calgary Cancer Centre is Rising Strong

The air is full of excitement at the site of the new Calgary Cancer Centre, where work is progressing on schedule since design-builder PCL Construction Management Inc. broke ground in October 2017. Excavation will be fully completed this summer, and the concrete pouring for the lower levels of the parkade is well underway.

Set to open to the public in 2023, and located on the northeast corner of the Foothills Medical Centre site, the Calgary Cancer Centre will be the largest stand-alone comprehensive cancer centre in Canada. Every type of cancer, with the exception of childhood cancer, will be treated there, expanding the reach and breadth of cancer care in southern Alberta and furthering vital research.

From the very start of this project, Alberta Infrastructure, Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health have partnered closely with the PCL/Dialog/Stantec team to create a facility that will support the delivery of leading and comprehensive patient/family-centred care, a chief aim for the Centre. Throughout the design process, the project team has been working with a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) — assembled to represent the voices of patients and caregivers affected by cancer — to hear and incorporate their feedback.

“[We’re] trying as best as possible to [meet the needs] of the types of patients we serve,” says Joanne Aime, project lead for the Calgary Cancer Centre, representing Alberta Health Services.

In addition to exceptional medical care, the Calgary Cancer Centre will provide much-needed space, technology and tools for developing, discovering and carrying out vital cancer research, including clinical studies and trials.

“We need to make sure we have the facilities and the infrastructure to meet the challenges of a growing cancer incidence and increasing cancer care complexity,” says Dr. Sunil Verma, medical lead for the Calgary Cancer Centre and medical director of the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. “[The new Centre] will really help us deliver care, and also help us recruit and retain the staff who are going to be the future of cancer care in southern Alberta.”


Calgary Cancer Centre – Numbers to Ponder

1.3 million

Total square footage of the facility

450,000

Cubic metres of dirt that will be removed as part of site excavation. This is equivalent to 5.2 million wheelbarrows full.

3,800

Approximate number of doors in the Centre, meaning a person could open a new door there every day for 10.4 years.

1,200

Approximate number of hand hygiene sinks; someone could wash their hands in a different sink each day for 3.2 years.