Scotiabank Celebrates ScotiaRISE Partner St. Michael's Hospital for National Expansion of VITAL Program

Scotiabank Celebrates ScotiaRISE Partner St. Michael's Hospital for National Expansion of VITAL Program

VITAL expands nationally, bringing accessible health data to improve Canada's healthcare system

TORONTO, June 24, 2026 /CNW/ - Scotiabank congratulates St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the GEMINI research team on their recent milestone announcement: its national health data platform – founded by St. Michael's Hospital physicians, Dr. Amol Verma and Dr. Fahad Razak – is a key pillar in Canada's new AI Strategy. The platform, called VITAL, will receive $100 million in federal funding to expand nationally.

The AI-driven data platform is an expansion of the Hospital's Ontario-based program, GEMINI, which collects and analyzes clinical and administrative data from over 30 hospitals, covering over 60 per cent of Ontario's inpatient care.

Through ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank's community investment initiative, the Bank is a proud supporter of the St. Michael's Hospital GEMINI program. In 2025, the Bank invested $2 million to support GEMINI, helping extend the AI-driven, data-informed platform from large urban hospitals to mid- and smaller-sized facilities. The program aims to provide robust and accessible health data that is needed to improve and sustain the health system and establish a standard of quality care for all Ontarians, providing clinicians and health leaders in smaller, underserviced areas with access to dynamic health data and rich analytics resources. Scotiabank's support will also provide 10 scholarships to students focused on mentorship and immersive training in healthcare data and advanced analytic modelling, helping build the next generation of leaders in this critical field.

VITAL will build on GEMINI's clinical data and analytics infrastructure, expanding its reach to hospitals across the country and establishing nearly real-time health data access for research and innovation at a national scale.

"Through ScotiaRISE, we support institutions that help economic resilience and foster sustainable growth for the benefit of society. Our partnership with St. Michael's Hospital to help strengthen Ontario's healthcare through responsible AI is a powerful example of this commitment in action," says Meigan Terry, Executive Vice President & Chief Global Corporate and Public Affairs Officer. "We are thrilled that our partnership with St. Michael's Hospital through support of GEMINI has helped pave the way for this national expansion. Congratulations to St. Michael's Hospital and the entire GEMINI team on the national recognition for your transformative work."

"We are proud to recognize Scotiabank as an early and essential partner through ScotiaRISE – whose leadership and early investment have helped make this pivotal moment possible. Their support has been instrumental in advancing GEMINI, strengthening one of Canada's leading health data ecosystems and improving access, discovery, and care across our health system. We are deeply grateful for this longstanding relationship," says Kevin Goldthorp, President and CEO, St. Michael's Hospital Foundation.

About ScotiaRISE

ScotiaRISE is Scotiabank's $500 million community investment commitment. The goal of ScotiaRISE is to help build economic resilience by supporting programs that help individuals and families access opportunities for economic growth, adapt to change, overcome barriers, and participate in the economy more fully. ScotiaRISE is guided by four pillars: Education, Employment, Community Needs & Cohesion, and Resilient Economy. Since launching in 2021, ScotiaRISE has partnered with over 300 community organizations and invested more than $212 million globally.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank's vision is to be our clients' most trusted financial partner and deliver sustainable, profitable growth. Guided by our purpose: "for every future," we help our clients, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With assets of approximately $1.5 trillion (as at April 30, 2026), Scotiabank is one of the largest banks in North America by assets, and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on X @Scotiabank.

About St. Michael's Hospital Foundation

A world leader in multiple sclerosis care, a pioneer in brain and heart innovation, a trailblazer in health AI, and one of North America's top trauma hospitals, St. Michael's Hospital—part of Unity Health Toronto—is renowned for taking on some of the toughest health challenges of our time.

Powered by a passionate community of donors and volunteers, St. Michael's Hospital Foundation fuels this work. We empower health teams to advance excellence, spark innovation, and champion equity by funding groundbreaking research, life-saving equipment, state-of-the-art spaces, and programs that support communities experiencing marginalization.

Together, we deliver a bold promise: Exceptional care. For everyone. In every critical moment. Without exception.

stmichaelsfoundation.ca

SOURCE Scotiabank