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Discussions about the Charles Camsell Hospital have focused on the history of the site, the reasons for its abandonment, and the appropriate use of the derelict structures and land. The hospital itself has become a kind of urban legend, fostering rumours that the site is haunted and that there is a mass burial site hidden somewhere on the hospital grounds. Whether the rumours are founded, the structure has become a disturbing feature of the neighbourhood of Inglewood in Edmonton and has resulted in discussions in the community and the city about how to address urban decay on this level.

Early History of the Charles Camsell Hospital

The Alberta provincial archives report that a Jesuit College for boys was originally built on the hospital site in 1913. The college was later appropriated by the American Army in 1942. A number of detached buildings were added and then the facility was used as a holding and forwarding centre for army personnel and civilian engineers employed to construct the Alaska Highway.

In 1944, when the highway was complete, the property and equipment were sold to the Federal Government of Canada and the site became the Edmonton Military Hospital. Several more detached buildings were constructed and were connected to the main building via a system of corridors.