OPL Oakville Heritage Moments: Healthcare in Oakville

When Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital was opened in 1950, it was the Oakville’s first and only permanent community hospital. Originally located Reynolds Street, it was built by and for the community when it became apparent that modern healthcare was needed almost 130 years after the town was founded.

In the early 1800s, the only available options for sick Oakvillians were small independently run hospitals or long trips to neighboring towns with more modern facilities. This lack of convenient health care became a problem in 1832, when there was a devastating outbreak of Asiatic cholera brought into Oakville by boat as Oakville was a port of entry. John Urquhart, who had experience with cholera outbreaks in Toronto, was put in charge of a temporary hospital in an attempt to combat the outbreak. Urquhart later set up his own medical hall where he sold drugs, chemicals, and “live leeches,” as well as where he performed surgery. Urquhart’s Medical Hall was in business for nearly 100 years, and was located at 182 Lakeshore Road east where the same building still stands today.

As the population of Oakville and the surrounding area grew, the town agreed there was a need for a modern hospital in 1943. The next year, land on Reynolds Street was donated by the estate of Christina Kate Chisholm. While the new hospital was being planned and funds were being raised, the Lions Club purchased a three-storey house on First Street in 1945 to serve as a temporary hospital, which had 14 beds and an elevator that often got stuck between floors.

With the goal of lending a helping hand, the Auxiliary was formed by a group of Oakville citizens in 1949. This group did volunteer work relating to the Hospital such as sewing and mending, flower arranging, operating a mobile library, and fund raising.

After two years of construction, the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital was complete in 1950 and opened on march 6th of that year. There were 13 doctors, 13 nurses, and 50 beds. The first patients were transferred from the temporary hospital, including a mother and one-day-old baby. The superintendent in 1951 was Lillian ‘Joy’ Parsons, who held this position for 36 years before she retired.

The hospital ran without changes for four years, until it was clear that yet more space was needed. It was reported that the hospital was running at 104.3% with patients often sleeping in hallways.

In 1966, the only ambulance service was Alexander Ambulance, owned by Murray MacBeth. There were 3 custom vehicles, and each call costed $15.

Constant improvements to the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Reynolds Street culminated in the decision to move to a new location in 2005. The move to the new modern hospital, which is 3 times the size of the original, was completed in 2015. The same year, the Reynolds street hospital was closed.