Updated: Monday, February 7, 2022 at 8:40 am — Roads have now reopened in the vicinity of our hospitals. Expect a continued police presence in the area and continue to check for traffic and police updates before coming to the hospital.
Toronto (Feb. 4, 2022) - UHN is aware of the protests planned for this weekend at Queen's Park. We have put efforts in place to ensure there is no disruption to patient care, and are coordinating our approach with Sinai Health, SickKids, and Women's College.
Toronto Police Service will do everything possible to ensure that critical health care needs are not disrupted. Access will be kept open for Emergency vehicles such as fire, police and ambulances. Hospital staff and patients will also be able to enter the area. All staff are reminded to carry hospital identification when coming to and from work. Patients are asked to bring any available documentation about your visit, like a letter or email.
Hospital security will be present at all our entrances to ensure that staff, patients and Essential Care Partners (ECPs) can safely access UHN hospitals.
The Emergency Departments at Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals remain open.
If you have an appointment on Friday or over the weekend, please be aware it may take you longer to get to the hospital. Our staff have also been made aware so that they can ensure they have sufficient time to get to work if they are scheduled to work.
Speak with your clinic or care area if you have questions about an upcoming appointment or treatment at the hospital. Let entrance staff know that you have an appointment or that you are a pre-approved ECP.
UHN Parking remains open, but consider using public transit – if you are able – to avoid traffic delays. Street parking in the vicinity has been restricted by Toronto Police Services.
Street Closures
Toronto Police Service have closed off streets around University Avenue as of 11:30am Friday. We will update our information as we receive more. Please be aware that the situation may change through the weekend. Additional road closures are to be expected. We strongly advise anyone coming to the hospital to check traffic, TTC schedules and street closure updates before leaving home.
Closed as of 11:30am on Sunday:
- Bloor Street W - St George St to Devonshire Place
- Bay Street - Bloor St W to Queen St W
- Queen Street West - Yonge St to Simcoe Street (This road closure is dynamic and moving towards Spadina Ave.)
- College Street - Yonge St to Beverly St
- University Avenue - Bloor St W to Queen St W
- Wellesley Street - Bay St to Queen's Park Circle
- Harbord Street - Queens Park Circle to Beverley St
- Police Headquarters - College Street and Grenville St
- Avenue Rd - Bloor St West to Dupont St
- Dundas St - Spadina Ave to Yonge St
- Lowther Avenue - Avenue Rd to Spadina Rd
Reopened as of 5:30pm on Saturday:
- Don Valley Pkwy South at Richmond St
- Gardiner Expressway Eastbound and Westbound, at Lake Shore Blvd
Toronto Service Updates
Hospital Entrance Information
Entrances to the hospital from University Avenue will be locked on Saturday and Friday evening as usual - there are exceptions for medical imaging patients, who need to use the University Avenue entrance. Badge access on University Avenue is available for staff.
Please use the following entrances to access our hospitals:
-
Princess Margaret: Murray Street entrance
-
Toronto General: Elizabeth Street entrance
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Toronto Rehab - University Centre: Elm Street entrance
Food and Drink
Our vendors will remain open, but please be aware that access to food and drink (inside and outside the hospital) may be impacted by the protests. Please plan ahead accordingly.
UHN's COVID-19
entrance screening processes and
visitor restrictions remain in place through the weekend. Please review our COVID-19
information section before coming.
The right to protest peacefully is critical to a democratic society. All hospital leadership has consistently asked everyone in society to be vaccinated as this is the best method available to prevent serious health issues which end in hospitalization. We will continue to give this advice and support public health measures such as masking, physical distancing and limiting the size of any gathering.
We recognize that some individuals may choose not to be vaccinated, a decision that may well see them hospitalized. We hope that, with all of the information available, people will ultimately be vaccinated.
Media Contact
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