Toronto Metropolitan University begins construction on Student Wellbeing Centre

An innovative and sustainable addition will be made to historic O’Keefe House

May 06, 2025

May 6, 2025 (Toronto) - Today, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) officially broke ground to begin construction on its innovative new Student Wellbeing Centre. This addition to the downtown campus will consolidate the university’s well-being services under one roof, improving access for the university community.

The TMU student body committed to the creation of the Student Wellbeing Centre by agreeing to an updated health and well-being fee in a 2022 referendum.

“The Student Wellbeing Centre is at the heart of our vision for well-being supports and services on campus,” said Mohamed Lachemi, president and vice-chancellor, TMU. “It is no coincidence that our students have led the support for this project because at TMU, our students have a track record of being drivers of change.”

Beyond the significant investment from the TMU student body, interest and support from the community has been evident in the number of generous donations that have been given toward the building project. This includes donations of $1 million each from TMU Chancellor Donette Chin-Loy Chang, vice-chair and co-founder of Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., Richard Rooney and Ed and Fran Clark; Ed is the former CEO of TD Bank, director of Thomson Reuters and chair of the Vector Institute. Mark Bonham, executive director of The Veritas Foundation, is the latest generous donor, who committed an additional $1 million to the project.

The TMU Student Wellbeing Centre will be an eight-storey mass timber addition to the historic O’Keefe House, located at 137 Bond Street. On top of adapting an existing building on campus, the Student Wellbeing Centre will also feature multiple passive green roofs, further solidifying the university’s commitment to sustainability.

The centrally located hub will will eventually house services such as:

Centre for Student Development and Counseling
Medical Centre
Health Promotion Programs
Academic Accommodation Support
Tri-Mentoring Program
Thriving Innovations
Consent Comes First and more all under one roof

Building design has been led by Hariri Pontarini Architects (external link) with support from Two-Row Architect (external link) for Indigenous design elements. Pomerleau (external link) has been selected as construction manager.

For more information about TMU’s Student Wellbeing Centre, visit the university’s Facilities Management and Development site.

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About Toronto Metropolitan University
A world-class research institution and Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education, TMU offers more than 60 undergraduate programs, over 65 graduate programs, and 80 continuing education certificate programs. The university boasts ten faculties, including the Lincoln Alexander School of Law and the new TMU School of Medicine, which is launching in September 2025. Established in 1948, TMU is home to nearly 48,000 students, including 2,900 Master’s and PhD students, 4,000 faculty and staff, and over 245,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit torontomu.ca.

Media Inquiries:
Jessica Leach
Toronto Metropolitan University
jleach@torontomu.ca