Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), with support from the community and RVH Foundation, has introduced Innisfil’s first Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, which will be located at the Rizzardo Health and Wellness Centre in Innisfil.
The new machine is set to help medical teams deliver almost 4,000 more scans annually, a critical addition in an effort to reduce wait times and improve access to care.
Currently, RVH says it performs approximately 24,000 MRI scans per year across two machines, with demand continuing rising parallel to population and its age.
“RVH is home to the largest and most advanced medical imaging department in the region, delivering more than 200,000 imaging exams each year,” says RVH President and CEO Gail Hunt in a news release. “MRI plays a critical role across cancer, cardiology, surgery and chronic disease management. Adding a third MRI in Innisfil expands our capacity and helps ensure our region can keep pace with growing demand.”
The new MRI — a MAGNETOM Flow Elite — will be one of the first of its kind in Ontario. Its technology uses magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of the body without surgery or radiation. The results support diagnosis and treatment planning across a wide range of conditions.
Among its features, it also boasts a wider opening and faster scan times to improve patient comfort, built-in artificial intelligence to support efficient, high-quality imaging, and technology that requires virtually no liquid helium. RVH says that improves the system's sustainability and reliability over time.
“This investment in smart technology allows us to provide safer, more precise and timely care,” says RVH Chief of Staff and Vice President of Academic & Medical Affairs Dr. Jeffrey Tyberg said. “Expanded MRI capacity means quicker access to diagnostic imaging and improved coordination of care across multiple clinical programs.”
Alongside the Town of Innisfil, RVH also signed an agreement with SDI Canada to purchase a Cassette Movable Building, a modular unit that which will attach to the existing location, where RVH has been providing outpatient and diagnostic services since 2019.
Site preparation is expected to begin in March 2026, with the modular unit arriving in August 2026. RVH says its target is to begin performing procedures with the machine in Innisfil by November 2026.
The wellness centre that will house the machine is across from where a proposed RVH health hub would be on Yonge Street.
“Our long-term vision is about providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Hunt added. “This project is an important step toward meeting the needs of our growing region.”
This expansion is supported by $800,000 in annual funding from the Ontario government, which will cover the operation of the MRI, including staffing. Hospitals are ultimately responsible for funding all major medical equipment, despite the help from the government.
“Our government is continuously investing in bringing healthcare closer to home, where people work and live,” said Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin. “This results in better outcomes and means people can be closer to their loved ones throughout their healthcare journey. By supporting the addition of a new MRI through operational funding, we are helping to reduce wait times and expand access to diagnostic imaging.”
RVH says the purchase of both the MRI scanner and the modular unit that will house it was made entirely possible through community generosity to its foundation.
“Our donors made this happen,” said Mary-Anne Frith, Chair of the RVH Foundation Board of Directors and Keep Life Wild campaign. “Their generosity is directly improving how and when patients receive care by bringing advanced imaging to Innisfil and helping people stay close to home when they need answers.”
