The Ottawa Hospital closes free overnight lodge for out-of-town cancer patients

The Maurice J. Grimes Lodge at The Ottawa Hospital's Civic Campus no longer provides overnight accommodation for out-of-town cancer patients, effective August 21. The lodge, built and equipped in 1973 by the Canadian Cancer Society, had housed patients from beyond Ottawa for up to 4 to 6 weeks while receiving treatment, allowing them to avoid costly daily commutes.

The closure is part of a series of cutbacks at the hospital that began in April 2024 when it announced cutting 3 per cent of its workforce — approximately 400 jobs, the majority affecting nurses and front-line health workers. The Grimes Lodge itself is losing two outpatient clerk positions, with some support services reduced or reassigned.

Floyd Scott, a Pembroke resident who underwent six weeks of radiation at the hospital this summer, used the lodge during his treatment. "This was an incredible resource for me. There would be no way I could drive daily for this treatment," he said. The lodge is approximately 150 km from Pembroke. Scott's mother had stayed there 30 years earlier during her own cancer care.

Robert Gauthier, president of CUPE Local 4000 representing hospital workers, said the real impact falls on cancer patients and families facing "additional obstacle and financial burden when they should be focusing on treatment." The hospital says it will "continue to support" out-of-town patients through alternative lodging arrangements and is likely to work with community partners on reduced hotel rates — a shift that places new costs on patients who previously stayed free Monday through Friday.