Garron Family Building Variance

UPDATE April 2022: We're pleased to announce that the variance has been approved by the City of Toronto for the Garron Family Building.

CAMH is proposing to add hospital signage to one of our existing buildings on our Queen Street site as part of the completion of our most recent phase of redevelopment (Phase 1C). The building name sign would be interior to the site, and is not illuminated. The signage requires a minor variance to City by-laws because it is located above the 2nd storey.

Many members of the local community will receive a by-law notice from the City of Toronto about this signage variance application. Below, you’ll find details and information about this variance and signage in advance of this process. You can also reach out to us directly to learn more or ask any questions. If you have immediate questions, please reach out directly to redevelopment.feedback@camh.ca.

We’d like to share with you some of the key features of the application:

• The request is for two non-illuminated building signs for the Garron Family Building;
• This is an existing building previously known as the Intergenerational Wellness Building;
• The building is located at 80 Workman Way on our Queen Street site (see map with building indicated by a red circle;
• The building is located on the North West corner of Workman Way and Stokes Street, and is entirely internal to the site;
• We’re requesting one sign on the mechanical penthouse of the South elevation (7th storey) and one sign on the mechanical penthouse of the East elevation (7th storey);
• At the time of the initial building proposal and signage application, this building had not been officially named which is why these signs were not included in the original application. 

Given how big our Queen Street site is—over eight city blocks—it is important that visitors can easily identify the correct building they are intending to visit. Many of the buildings on our Queen Street site have upper-storey signs to help people easily find where they are going and locate themselves within CAMH. Each building on CAMH’s Queen Street site has a unique purpose, making it all the more important that our buildings are identifiable, so that visitors, patients, and family members can get where they need to be.

These building signs honour our important donor, the Garron Family, who have generously donated to CAMH for many years. Philanthropic support from families like the Garrons plays a large role in infrastructure and quality of care. Without donor support, many advances in care and treatment would simply not be possible. We thank our donors for championing our goal to put mental health at the centre of health care and for their tremendous support in making our vision a reality.