Convention facilities offer empty space to be used as ‘pop-up’ hospitals

The city has received offers from businesses that normally host weddings and trade shows to use their facilities for emergency medical centres, if necessary.

There hasn’t been a call for large facilities to be used for medical purposes, but at least two centres have contacted city hall with offers as their business drops during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Kevin McCrann, president of the EY Centre near the Ottawa International Airport, said the business reached out to Mayor Jim Watson’s office on the weekend to see how it could help.

“Most of our events for the next two or three months have been postponed, so we sit here with parking, a good location and 220,000 square feet of open space,” McCrann said Monday.

“When we thought about a good use, and I don’t think the city is there yet, but maybe in the future it would be a good spot for a popup hospital.”

McCrann said the EY Centre temporarily laid off 15 full-time staff and “several hundred” parttime staff, who usually would be working at the facility during various events.

The EY Centre’s parking lot is usually packed with cars during trade shows, conferences and other events, but now there are only overflow vehicles from car rental companies in the area.

“We have a bit of a standstill and we’re trying to do the best we can,” McCrann said.

The Infinity Convention Centre also contracted the city over the weekend.

Lee Knowles, Infinity’s vicepresident of operations, said the business was in touch with the city’s head of emergency management,

We have a bit of a standstill and we’re trying to do the best we can.

Pierre Poirier, to offer the space in case an emergency medical facility is needed. The facility would just ask for its costs to be covered, such as utilities and any necessary staff, Knowles said.

Knowles said she has a friend in the medical profession who suggested the Infinity facility could be an emergency medical centre, so she reached out to the city.

The Infinity centre has 15,000 square feet of ballroom space, plus another 5,000 square feet in the foyer and a large commercial kitchen that could be converted into a makeshift hospital, if required. jwilling@postmedia.com