National health data platform Vital launches at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital with $210 million in funding

A made-in-Toronto platform for the country's health data

Some of Canada's most influential figures in health, government and artificial intelligence gathered at St. Michael's Hospital this week for the launch of Vital, a new national health data platform backed by $210 million in government and institutional funding.

According to Unity Health Toronto, nearly 250 people from academia, industry, the military and the public sector attended the event at the downtown hospital, where federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon helped mark the platform's debut.

Vital will connect near real-time data from hospitals across Canada, starting with 160 hospitals in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. It was founded by St. Michael's physicians Dr. Amol Verma and Dr. Fahad Razak along with collaborators across the country, and will be coordinated from Unity Health Toronto. Representatives from British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia also attended the launch, a sign that the network could grow into a pan-Canadian system.

"Vital helps Canada learn from the care we already deliver, so we can deliver it better," said Minister Solomon, according to Unity Health Toronto. "It connects real-time hospital data for research and innovation, while protecting privacy and while respecting provincial oversight."

The launch drew a notable GTA presence. Dr. Helena Jaczek, MP for Markham–Stouffville, attended alongside Maggie Chi, parliamentary secretary to the federal Minister of Health, and Karim Bardeesy, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Industry. Dr. Danielle Martin, MP for University–Rosedale, was also present.

Speakers included Altaf Stationwala, president and CEO of Unity Health, University of Toronto president Melanie Woodin, and Dr. David Naylor, chair of Vital's Strategic Advisory Committee and a former U of T president.

"[Vital] has a scope that could catalyze the development of countless Canadian startups applying artificial intelligence to optimize our health and our healthcare," Naylor said at the announcement, according to Unity Health Toronto.

Privacy and data sovereignty in focus

Roundtable discussions at the event centred on health data and AI, including how the technology can improve care and why public trust matters. Privacy protection and data security were recurring themes.

"Strong privacy and security measures are in place to safeguard the health data of Canadians, along with robust governance that shapes how data will be used," said Verma, co-lead of Vital and an internist at St. Michael's Hospital.

Verma, who is also the Temerty Professor of AI Research and Education in Medicine at the University of Toronto, said it is critical to protect national data sovereignty by keeping Canadian health data under Canadian ownership and management.

AI tools already in use

Unity Health Toronto, a national leader in health AI, demonstrated tools already operating in its hospitals. One, CHARTWatch, monitors hospitalized patients and flags those at high risk of unexpected death or transfer to intensive care. A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found the tool was linked to a 26 per cent reduction in unanticipated mortality on St. Michael's general internal medicine unit.

Another, AI Models to Prevent Delirium, is one of Canada's largest clinical trials of health AI. Delirium affects roughly one in four adults hospitalized with medical or surgical problems and can add an estimated $11,000 in costs per admission. The tool is being rolled out to 15,000 patients across 13 hospitals.

Unity Health Toronto said Vital's infrastructure will make it possible to develop and evaluate similar tools across Canada, expanding access to technologies that could save lives.