Grandview Kids

Every Child And Youth Living Life At Their Full Potential

Posted

The New Grandview Kids receives Award of Merit for Project Delivery

Media Release

The New Grandview Kids receives Award of Merit for Project Delivery by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships

AJAX, ONT. – The Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre (GCTC) Redevelopment Project won the Award of Merit for Project Development at the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnership’s (CCPPP) 2022 National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. Presented on November 21, 2022, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, the prestigious award honours the GCTC Redevelopment Project for delivering best-in-class infrastructure for Canadians, which is both innovative and cost-effective.

Grandview Kids Chief Finance Officer, Harry (left), accepting the Award of Merit for Project Development for the Grandview Children's Treatment Centre Redevelopment Project.

On April 13, 2022, Grandview Kids announced Children First Consortium as the successful proponent to complete the design, build and finance of the GCTC Redevelopment Project. The Children First Consortium is made up of: Amico Design Build Inc., Sacyr Construction S.A (construction team and applicant lead); Parkin Architects, H.H. Angus and Associates Limited (design team); Stonebridge Financial Corporation (financial advisor).

With a focus on hope, belonging, discovery and celebration, the new Grandview Kids headquarters – located in Ajax, Ontario – will be a centre of excellence in paediatric rehabilitation. The Centre will support seamless, coordinated and client-driven care. The space will be open, welcoming and inclusive. The building will be home to a mix of rehabilitation, medical and clinical services, as well as education and research activities. While maintaining satellite offices in other areas of Durham Region, the new Centre will enable Grandview Kids to continue responding to the growing demand for services for children and youth, helping to reduce wait times, increase accessibility and improve the range of local service offerings.

The Canadian Council National Awards for Public-Private Partnerships honour governments and public institutions and their private sector partners who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in public-private partnerships. The awards, presented annually, highlight project financing, service delivery, infrastructure investment and generation of economic benefit, which result in enhanced quality of public services and facilities. The CCPPP Award of Merit for Project Development specifically honours the GCTC Redevelopment Project for possessing qualities that includes demonstrating innovation and excellence in its sector.

Quick Facts

  • Children First Consortium was awarded the contract to design, build and finance the Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre Redevelopment Project through an open, fair and competitive process overseen by a third-party fairness advisor. 
  • The project will enable the delivery of Grandview Kids’ specialized programs, outpatient clinical treatment, and support more children and youth in the Durham Region and surrounding areas, while alleviating the region’s growing waitlists for special needs services.
  • Construction of the new Grandview Kids began in October 2022 and is targeted for completion in 2024.

Quotes

Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services: “Our government is proud to play an important role in the redevelopment of the Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre. This facility will help children and youth reach their full potential through the provision of excellence in paediatric rehabilitation. This is another example of how, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are building Ontario, and helping our most vulnerable connect to their community.”

Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, Chief Executive Officer, Grandview Kids: “The long-held dream of the Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre Redevelopment Project will soon lead to the reality of our new Paediatric Centre of Excellence in Ajax, Ontario. To receive the Project Development Award of Merit, while still in the development phase, is a testament to the incredible teamwork we experience day-to-day at Grandview Kids, and the continued support we receive from our partners at Children First Consortium and Infrastructure Ontario. Grandview Kids is poised for continued, unprecedented growth over the next several years, making this an exciting time for the Grandview Kids community. We graciously accept this award and look forward to opportunities that enable us to continue to share our Grandview ‘sparkle’ with more clients, caregivers and partners.”

Michael Lindsay, President and CEO, Infrastructure Ontario: “I am thrilled that the Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre Redevelopment Project has received the Award of Merit in the Project Development category. We at Infrastructure Ontario are grateful to be working with our partners to deliver such an important project that will provide services for children and youth with physical, developmental, and communication needs. Once complete, the new facility will provide Grandview Kids the ability to serve more patients and their caregivers within the community. Congratulations to everyone involved in making this project a reality.”

Nadine Leonard, Project Director, Children First Consortium: “Children First Consortium is ecstatic that the Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre Redevelopment Project won the Award of Merit in the Project Development category. We appreciate Infrastructure Ontario and Grandview Kids for the opportunity to be the Designer, Builder, and Financer for a project that support children and youth. We thank our team for their hard work and dedication in supporting the project. Children First Consortium is excited to see the impact of the new ‘Grandview Kids’ and the support it provides to children and youth in the Durham Region.”

Announcing the retirement of Grandview Kids CEO, Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann

It is with mixed emotions that we announce Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, Grandview Kids’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), will retire in February 2023. Lorraine has been our compassionate leader, unrelenting champion and inspiring motivator for 11 years. During her tenure, Lorraine has transformed how children and youth with disabilities access, engage and guide care in Durham Region and across the paediatric health and social services sector. She has steered the way to establishing a more inclusive, accessible and integrated health system, both locally and provincially.

A headshot of Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann in front of the playground at Grandview Kids' Main Site in Oshawa.

Under Lorraine’s leadership, Grandview Kids has grown from 80 to nearly 250 employees, providing specialized paediatric and rehabilitation services to more than 16,000 children and youth per year. Lorraine has fostered strong connections between community and school-based partners so that children have access to care in places where they live, learn and play.

Lorraine’s advocacy came to fruition with the April 2022 ground-breaking of “The New Grandview Kids,” a state-of-the-art facility, which will offer leading practice, family-centred services for children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs. Lorraine’s unwavering determination secured Federal, Provincial, Regional and Municipal government funding and exposure for this monumental project. Her passion and commitment were the key catalysts of change, driving ongoing transformation and modernization as we look to the future of Grandview Kids. Her legacy will live on within the walls of our new Centre of Excellence, slated to open in 2024.

Over two decades serving in frontline and leadership roles with St. Michael’s Hospital and Lakeridge Health, Lorraine campaigned for evidence-based and family-centred practice. She has always valued families as partners in care, actively embedding their voice to guide decisions. At Grandview Kids, Lorraine has been a visionary, adding families to the inter-professional team who oversee the organization’s strategic directions.

Team Grandview has witnessed Lorraine’s ability to make brave decisions – putting families first – and demonstrating a commitment to advance rehabilitation through research, innovation, quality improvement, partnerships and engagement. As a leader, she is accountable, responsible, transparent and innovative. Lorraine’s work has been measurable, but most of all, it has been impactful. She will be dearly missed.

As we consider what this means for Grandview Kids, our Board of Trustees has been engaged in strategic discussions around next steps. Through the oversight of a dedicated CEO Succession Planning Committee, our Board will begin recruiting for the CEO role immediately. The CEO job posting is available on the Grandview Kids website.

In the meantime, please join us in wishing Lorraine support and well wishes as she enters this next chapter in her life, where she looks forward to spending time with her family. Notes of congratulations can be sent to communications@grandviewkids.ca. 

There is no doubt Lorraine leaves a lasting legacy for our sector.

Three images of Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann stitched together. From left to right: Lorraine is touching the knee of a child you is sitting down after receiving a vaccine at Grandview's Vaccine Clinic; Lorraine reaching to hug an employee at Grandview's 2022 Staff barbecue; and Lorraine posing with three kids for a photo in a Grandview Kids branded cardboard cutout.

Grandview Kids has been accredited with Exemplary Standing for the third time


Oshawa, ON – Grandview Kids upholds a solid commitment to providing high-quality, safe and effective care to children and youth with disabilities in the Durham Region. Every three years, Grandview Kids undergoes a fulsome review of quality, safety and people-centred care to assess compliance with national standards as set by Accreditation Canada.

Accreditation Canada works globally with more than 1,100 health, social and community service organizations to advance quality and safety. Grandview Kids participates in the Accreditation Canada Qmentum Program, including a comprehensive self-assessment and on-site surveys. Peer Surveyors assessed the organization’s governance, infection prevention and control measures, leadership, medical management, and service excellence in accordance with national standards. The outcome resulted in Grandview Kids being awarded an Exemplary Standing – for the third accreditation in a row over the past ten years!

Accreditors recognized and commented on Grandview’s rigorous financial reporting, excellence in quality management, and the strength of Team Grandview members. It was evident to surveyors the expert-level knowledge and interest to advance clinical practice by clinicians and medical staff. Interviewed community partners recognized Grandview Kids as a “North Star,” providing guidance and leadership within the sector. And families shared with surveyors that Grandview has “outstanding staff and services.” The outcome was no surprise for Chief Executive Officer, Lorraine-Sunstrum-Mann:

“Across all roles in the organization, the team at Grandview dedicate themselves to delivering the very best care to the clients and families we serve. Additionally, they commit to enhancing the professional work environment for each other as a learning environment associated with quality care. Four words have guided our recent projects: Hope, Discovery, Belonging and Celebration. The Accreditation experience underscored how these words come to life every day at Grandview Kids.”

Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, Grandview Kids CEO

Team Grandview has grown significantly in the past three years, with more than 300 full-time equivalent positions leading to a 111 percent increase in staffing in the past few years. As the organization grows, the Accreditation Canada surveyors encouraged leaders to maintain the motivation to provide the highest quality of care while managing such significant transformational changes.

Many new projects, initiatives and a new building are on the horizon for Grandview Kids. It’s an exciting time to celebrate the tremendous work of Team Grandview while looking to carry our Exemplary Standing to our new headquarters in Ajax and our ongoing satellite locations in Port Perry. Bowmanville, Oshawa and Whitby

Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, Grandview Kids CEO

Click here to read the executive summary of the Grandview Kids Accreditation Report.

About Grandview Kids

Grandview Kids – founded in 1953 – is an independently operated, not-for-profit Children’s Treatment Centre in Durham Region. A Centre of Excellence for paediatric assessment, care and rehabilitation, Grandview Kids provides specialized programs, medical services, and outpatient clinical treatment and support to thousands of children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs, as well as support for parents and caregivers. Its mission is to help every child and youth live life to their full potential. 
For more information about Grandview Kids, visit: http://grandviewkids.ca/.
For updates, follow @GrandviewKids on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media contact

Avori Cheyne
Director, Strategic Communications, Partnership and Engagement
905-728-1673 ext. 2240
Avori.Cheyne@grandviewkids.ca 

Grandview Kids names Children First Consortium as the preferred proponent to build a state-of-the-art facility

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

New Ajax Grandview Kids HQ Sign indicating its location

Ajax, ON – After 14 years of advocacy and 17 months of extensive planning and evaluations, Grandview Kids is pleased to announce the Children First Consortium as the preferred proponent to finalize the design, build and finance the “New Grandview Kids.” 

The Children First Consortium team includes:

  • Applicant Leads: Amico Design Build Inc., Sacyr Construction S.A
  • Design Team: Parkin Architects, H.H. Angus and Associates Limited
  • Construction Team: Amico Design Build Inc., Sacyr Construction S.A
  • Financial Advisor: Stonebridge Financial Corporation

Infrastructure Ontario and Grandview Kids selected the preferred proponent following an open, fair and competitive request for proposals that began in May 2021. The project is delivered as a Design-Build-Finance contract using a Public-Private Partnerships (P3) model. A P3 model transfers the appropriate risks associated with design, construction and financing to the private sector.

“We have been working toward this moment for many years,” shared Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, Chief Executive Officer of Grandview Kids. “We have imagined a space that offers high-quality, child-centred care in a facility that welcomes all families. We have been guided by the vision of hope, belonging, discovery and celebration for all families. We know the Children First Consortium shares in this vision, and we are one step closer to seeing our dream come to life.” 

The new Grandview Kids headquarters will be a centre of excellence in paediatric care. The building will include:

  • Centre-Wide Therapy Services: occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, therapeutic recreation, audiology, infant hearing, blind low-vision, social work
  • Ontario Autism Program including Autism Diagnostic Hub, Foundational Family Support Program, Early Years Caregiver-Mediated Program,  Entry to School Program and Core  Services
  • Preschool Outreach Program
  • School-Based Rehabilitation
  • Developmental Paediatric Medical Services including specialized medical clinics
  • Family/caregiver resources and support
  • Campbell Children’s School 

Once complete, Grandview Kids will consolidate the existing main site in Oshawa and multiple satellite locations into one purpose-built site at 1461 Harwood Avenue North, Ajax. Grandview Kids will maintain three satellite locations to reduce extensive travel times for some clients and their families.

The opening will have a significant impact on local families. Sarah-Lynne Gibbons is the Mom of Zoe. “Little Miss Zoe” as she is best known, is three years old and has a metabolic genetic condition known as SLC35A2-CDG. “To me, the New Grandview Kids means more opportunities for our family to gain knowledge and access more equipment and new devices. These will give Zoe the best chance at living her best life and reaching her highest potential. Grandview has been such a huge foundation to Zoe’s success thus far and that has been with such limited resources available. We cannot wait to have the Ajax location up and running.”

Progress continues with Infrastructure Ontario and Grandview Kids working to finalize contract details with Children First Consortium. The project is expected to reach a financial close in the coming weeks, with the construction phase aimed to begin in the spring.

The Durham Region community can donate to the New Grandview Kids through the Grandview Kids Foundation. Visit https://www.grandviewkidsfoundation.ca/ to contribute to the Believe Campaign and help build a new facility that hosts unlimited potential for children and youth.

About Grandview Kids

Grandview Kids – founded in 1953 – is an independently operated, not-for-profit Children’s Treatment Centre in Durham Region. A Centre of Excellence for paediatric assessment, care and rehabilitation, Grandview Kids provides specialized programs, medical services, and outpatient clinical treatment and support to thousands of children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs, as well as support for parents and caregivers. Its mission is to help every child and youth live life to their full potential.

For more information about Grandview Kids, visit: http://grandviewkids.ca/.

For updates, follow @GrandviewKids on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media contacts:

Avori Cheyne
Director, Strategic Communications, Partnership and Engagement
905-728-1673 ext. 2240
Avori.Cheyne@grandviewkids.ca

June 25, 2021

Eligible families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will begin receiving invitations to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs on June 28, 2021.

Today, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) unveiled the agencies offering caregiver-mediated programs in Ontario. In Durham Region, the successful agencies include Grandview Kids, Lake Ridge Community Support Services and The Regional Municipality of Durham. Along with Resources for Exceptional Children and Youth, these agencies make up the Ontario Autism Program, Durham (OAP-D) Partnership.

The OAP-D Partnership will deliver three caregiver-mediated Programs: Social ABCs, Project ImPACT, and The PLAY Project.

Mother holding son in her lap as he plays with the toys in front of them.

Caregiver-mediated early years programs are play-based and child-led. These programs help young children (12 to 48 months of age) learn new skills and meet individualized goals in their natural environments. Programs are delivered by trained professionals who support parents to learn and apply play-based strategies that foster their child’s skill development. Programs are offered for up to six months, with virtual options available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programs are offered as part of a needs-based, sustainable and family-centred OAP led by the MCCSS. The MCCSS will directly invite families to participate via written letter. Grandview Kids will oversee the referral and intake process, and families will select their preferred program. Families may only participate in one program at a time at no cost. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Lake Ridge Community Support Services and The Regional Municipality of Durham to support families of young children with Autism. The addition of caregiver-mediated programs means parents will have improved access and support to help their child reach their full potential.”

Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann, CEO, Grandview Kids

For more information on the Ontario Autism Program, Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Programs, visit the Province of Ontario website and our dedicated Caregiver-Mediated Programs page.

May 19, 2021

Infrastructure Ontario and Grandview Kids have invited three teams to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) to design, build and finance the Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre Redevelopment project.

The three teams were shortlisted based on criteria identified in a request for qualifications process that began in September 2020. Selection criteria included design and construction capability, experience, qualified personnel and financial capacity to undertake a project of this size and scope.

The shortlisted teams and their prime team members are:

CHILDREN’S FIRST CONSORTIUM
  • Applicant Lead: Amico Design Build Inc. (50%), Sacyr Construction S.A (50%)
  • Design Team: H.H. Angus and Associated Limited, Parkin Architects
  • Construction Team: Amico Design Build Inc. (50%), Sacyr Construction S.A (50%)
  • Financial Advisor: Stonebridge Financial Corporation
ELLISDON INFRASTRUCTURE HEALTHCARE
  • Applicant Leads: EllisDon Corporation
  • Design Team: Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc.
  • Construction Team: EllisDon Corporation
  • Financial Advisor: EllisDon Capital Inc.
GRANDVIEW CONNECTION GROUP
  • Applicant Lead: Pomerleau Inc.
  • Design Team: Stantec Consulting Ltd., Stephenson Engineering Limited, Quasar Consulting Group Inc.
  • Construction Team: Pomerleau Inc.
  • Financial Advisor: Pomerleau Inc.

Teams will now begin preparing proposals that detail how they will deliver the project. Once submissions are received, Infrastructure Ontario and Grandview Kids will evaluate the proposals, select a preferred team and then negotiate a final contract. A successful bidder is expected to be announced in spring 2022. A fairness monitor will oversee the entire procurement process.

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services are working with Grandview Kids on the project.

More details about the project are available on Infrastructure Ontario’s Grandview Children’s Centre redevelopment webpage.

You Have Questions

We’d like to help you find the answers…

Contact Us Today