Our History

Ste. Anne's Hospital 1917-1992

Ste. Anne's Hospital is the last of the hospitals administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and one of nine new hospitals constructed in Canada to care for the casualties of the First World War. It was built by the Borden Government in 1917, under the Military Hospitals Commission in recognition of the men and women who came back from the wars that have tainted this century.

Ste. Anne's, like its counterparts elsewhere in the country, was built as a solution to a problem that had never before been encountered in the history of war. In this first major conflict since Europe had become industrialized, new weapons had been created to destroy the enemy.

For protection, a network of trenches was quickly dug up in the French countryside. Life in the trenches was terrible; soldiers had to choose between the risk of falling ill in the cold and damp trenches or being struck down by the enemy if they ventured out.

On the other hand, medical science had succeeded in controlling diseases that had once destroyed armies, typhoid fever in particular. Wounded soldiers were in less danger of death than ever before, but convalescence was lengthy, longer than it would be once antibiotics came onto the scene in the 1930s, just in time for the Second World War. The convalescent hospital for war wounded was therefore designed to provide soldiers with a new kind of care.

The Great War was not the longest war in history, but no one in industrialized and civilized Europe believed that it would last as long as it did.

In the glorious late Summer days of 1914, soldiers throughout Europe, Great Britain and the British colonies and dominions set off singing for the train stations leading them to the battle field. Flags fluttered, trumpets sounded, and everyone expected to be home again by Christmas. But the only ones who were back by then were the sick and injured - and only those for whom there was room back home because of the limited number of beds available in the country's hospitals.

In the Summer of 1915, Great Britain asked the Commonwealth countries that had contributed troops to repatriate their wounded for treatment at their own country's expense. England lacked both the funds and the space to deal with them. In Canada, although private residences and country homes had already been donated in support of the war effort, there was a need to organize properly to meet the demand for convalescent care. Prime Minister Borden delegated this responsibility to various Canadian businessmen. Thus, the Military Hospitals Commission was created by ministerial order-in-council dated June 30. Lougheed, a Western Canadian businessman, headed the Commission and Scammell was its secretary. The inaugural meeting was held on July 20, 1915.

The Commission's first responsibility was to administer the houses donated by wealthy Canadians and to adapt them to their new role. In all cases, it was necessary to upgrade the plumbing, kitchens and heating systems. But what they nearly all had in common were the magnificent grounds surrounding them making them ideal for convalescence.

By October 7, 1915, the Commission had jurisdiction over eleven hospitals or residences capable of housing six hundred persons on an in-patient or out-patient basis. In 1916, it was found that the costs were out of proportion to the number of patients cared for, and only the largest buildings were converted to convalescent hospitals. These included Deer Lodge in Winnipeg, Bishop Strachan School and Knox College in Halifax and Québec City, and Loyola College and the Grey Nuns Convent in Montreal.

Loyola and the other colleges made available to the Commission were particularly well suited to their new use. Meeting rooms, dormitories, class-rooms, dining halls and grounds were most appropriate. Large wards could be created by simply removing walls. However, the cost of renovating the Drummond Pavilion totalled $75,000, as much as, if not more than, the cost of building a new hospital, according to the standards the Commission was to adopt in 1917.