Unity Health Toronto is aware that Vas Georgiou former executive at St. Michael’s Hospital has been found guilty of fraud perpetrated against the hospital, Infrastructure Ontario, and the broader public.

After construction started to build a patient care tower at St. Michael’s Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, the hospital was made aware of allegations involving one of its executives, Vas Georgiou, including alleged conflicts of interest with the President of the contractor, Bondfield Construction Company Limited. An investigation into the allegations led to Mr. Georgiou’s dismissal from the hospital in 2015.

The hospital has fully cooperated with the investigation by the Serious Fraud Office of the OPP. Criminal wrongdoing was isolated to this former executive. We are confident in the hospital’s procurement processes and policies, and recently audited the controls within our redevelopment projects to validate that we have a rigorous system in place.

We remain focused on the timely and efficient completion of the project to improve Ontario’s healthcare infrastructure and to continue St. Michael’s Hospitals 130-year legacy of caring for our communities, patients and those most in need.

While the majority of the patient care tower is now operational, there is some outstanding work on the tower and project overall. A number of renovations are ongoing, including the emergency department expansion and renovations to the intensive care unit.

Since Bondfield’s insolvency, St. Michael’s Hospital and Unity Health Toronto have continued to progress the project and provide the highest quality of care to people living In Toronto and across Canada – including some of the most vulnerable in our city. This work continued during an unprecedented pandemic, with the patient care tower increasing capacity for the broader healthcare system at a critical time.

We are proud that in the face of these challenges, St. Michael’s Hospital and Unity Health Toronto have upheld our commitment to providing excellent and compassionate care for our patients. We look forward to building on this legacy with integrity and accountability.