Share this Story : The Sarnia Observer Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Eric Bunnell's People: 'Danger due to demolition'

Demolition notices mark the impending end of the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital

It’s a visible sign of the end of the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital.

With the historic hospital expected to be razed to clear the way for residential and commercial growth in Central Elgin, much of the 460-acre campus is now fenced off as abatement of the site continues. Notices warn of danger due to demolition.

Eric Bunnell's People: 'Danger due to demolition' Back to video

“Contractors began on-site abatement work in May 2026, which is expected to take approximately 12 months,” says Ian McConachie, who is manager of media relations and communications for Infrastructure Ontario.

”Safety fencing is being erected to ensure the safety of the public and prevent unauthorized entry into the active worksite.”

But while the buildings eventually will be gone (Ian offered no current timeline), some memories will remain.

“To honour the former hospital’s history, Infrastructure Ontario, the government’s realty agent, will be working with the municipality and future developers to preserve and reuse selected stone carvings and heritage features from the existing buildings as part of the new development.”

Opened in spring 1939 under the watch of then-premier Mitch Hepburn, the hospital in 1940 became an RCAF training school for the duration of the Second World War, before transitioning back in 1945 to a 2,200-bed psychiatric facility. (Interestingly, only half of the planned institution ever was built.)

The hospital closed in 2013 with the construction of newer facilities in the London and St. Thomas region and has been vacant since.

Although heritage activists have urged some preservation of the hospital, both Infrastructure Ontario and Central Elgin have said the institution — a collection of 22 buildings, actually — is unsalvageable.

With Arthur Voaden secondary school now closed, Vikings danced the evening away recently at the St. Thomas Seniors’ Centre as they readied for a September celebration of what would have been the school’s 100th anniversary.

The outing was themed Dance Your Decade, so Bonnie Brown — who was Bonnie Bowlby when she graduated (“I’m an oldie . . . in........

© Sarnia Observer