Renovations at Greater Sudbury's medical research facility are on time and on budget, city councillors were told Tuesday.
Dr. Janet E. McElhaney, scientific director at the Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI), said the institute is not only working on research that will improve the lives of northerners, it's also bringing 20 high-skilled jobs to the city, with the potential for more in the coming years.
“This is going to build capacity for economic development in the health-care sector here in Sudbury,” McElhaney said. “We're really building something to bring lead researchers to Sudbury.”
More than $11 million has been spent on renovations of the former St. Theresa’s school on Walford Road, where HSNRI is located, creating 35 construction jobs, she said. Two more scientists are coming on board soon with the complement of staff growing to 24 in the coming years.
Renovation at St. Theresa’s will provide the institute with about 15,000 sq. ft. of new research space, she said. That includes a wet laboratory, dry laboratory and office space.
Funding for the project includes $750,000 from the city, $1 million from the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation, and $4.9 million from both FedNor and the NOHFC.
The focus of the research is on cancer care, infectious diseases, precision medicine, healthy aging and northern and Indigenous health.
Renovations are expected to be complete in May 2017.
Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti said the institute not only provides good paying jobs, but enhances the city's reputation.
“We're known more for shopping malls, so it's nice to see we're getting more skilled people in our community,” Signoretti said. “This puts us on the map in a different light.”
The institute was founded in 2012 by Dr. Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, and was called the Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada. But in November, Diaz-Mitoma abruptly resigned from his position at AMRIC. HSN officials did not comment on his departure at the time, saying only it was a personal matter.
Soon after Diaz-Mitoma’s departure, AMRIC was rebranded as the Health Sciences North Research Institute with a renewed focus on health issues that affect northerners. Last month, it was announced that Diaz Mitoma had been appointed chief medical officer of VBI Vaccines (VBI) in Cambridge, Mass.
