A front-row seat to the future of care

From the wide windows of Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Building, residents have a front-row seat to the largest healthcare infrastructure project in the province’s history. Outside the windows, cranes stretch skyward, and crews move with careful precision as the new Acute Care Tower at the QEII Health Sciences Centre steadily rises from the ground up. 

For resident Clayton Allain, watching the construction has become part of his daily rhythm. He brings with him a rich personal history rooted in service, hard work and community connection. Those experiences shape the way he sees the project unfolding outside his window — not just as a construction site, but as something much larger. 

“I’ve been monitoring the progress since I arrived at the Veterans Memorial Building,” Allain said. “Having served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 17 years and with the Department of National Defense for 14 years, teamwork has always been critical to the success of any mission. As such is the case with this project.” 

For residents like Allain who watch the project take shape each day, the connection goes beyond the view from their windows. During a recent visit, representatives from PCL Construction, Build Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Health met with about 60 veterans, staff and family members, sharing updates on timelines, safety measures and design features that will shape the future facility. 

For Allain, engaging with the QEII Renew project team has made construction feel less distant and more personal. “It means a lot that they come over and explain what’s happening,” he said. “When you understand what goes into each stage, you start to appreciate how complex it really is.” That complexity is something Allain has come to admire. Standing across from the evolving structure, he reflected on the co-ordination required to build something of this scale. 

“One part can’t move ahead until another is finished; everything depends on everything else,” he said. “When it stopped being just a foundation and you could see the height, that’s when it felt real. Now, every week there’s something new. You can actually see the future taking shape.”  

Photo of Clayton Allain.