Two hospitals in Waterloo Region were ranked by Newsweek magazine and placed in the top 100 institutions in the country.
Newsweek, in partnership with Statista, ranked 250 hospitals by surveying data and quality metrics for more than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries, with the aim of informing patients. It deemed Toronto General the second-best in the world and highest ranked in Canada.
Coming in at #55 is WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd. (former St. Mary’s General Hospital), following behind at #63 is WRHN @ Midtown (former Grand River Hospital).
“This recognition is more than an award; it’s a moment to celebrate how we thrive together as a unified team. We strive to put people first in every decision, and when faced with the challenges of a rapidly growing region, our staff consistently find a way to innovate,” Ron Gagnon, President and CEO of WRHN, said in a press release.
Some of the methods that go into the evaluations are recommendations from medical experts, patient satisfaction surveys, hospital quality metrics (such as safety and hygiene), and the implementation of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.
“This ranking challenges us to continue to be our best every day,” Gagnon said. “We are grateful to our community for their continued generosity that ensures our teams have the tools and technology to support the best outcomes for the patients we are honoured to care for.”
Toronto General has cracked the Top 10 annually since the series began in 2019, most recently holding third place for two consecutive years. It’s known for cardiac care, organ transplants and complex patient needs.
“When you look down that list there are very few places in the world where you can say I can walk into a best-in-the-world hospital and it doesn’t matter if I’m one of the wealthiest people in that society or one of least advantaged people in the society, I will get the same care,” Chief Executive Officer Kevin Smith, University Health Network president, said.
Canada attracting world-class talent
He said a withdrawal of investment in health research south of the border led to an opportunity to hire world-leading scientists who are pursuing research on viruses, vaccines and health equity, along with cancer and heart disease.
UHN said 11 of the 61 people recruited so far are Canadians abroad returning from the United States, in addition to candidates from Japan, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
“I do think this is a bit of a Canadian moment. We’ve been advantaged by that,” Smith said.
But he acknowledged there are hurdles that come with operating a publicly funded hospital compared to private models in the United States, chiefly the time it can take to receive federal approvals and provincial funding.
“What allows us to skate ahead is research. When we’re doing those clinical trials, when we are bringing those new therapies here and we do research on them and test them, that means Canadians are in fact still getting them first, like a first payer environment,” Smith said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2026.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.