| In its formal submission
to the Central West LHIN Task Force on Peel Memorial
Hospital today, BDDC Vice-Chair Neil Davis said “we
believe PMH can be redeveloped into a viable health
care facility and that the priority should be to look
at creative ways to reuse and redevelop the site. Given
the existing public investment in the PMH campus and
its central, accessible location within Brampton, PMH
is the ideal site in which to re-invest to increase
the overall capacity of the healthcare system, as well
as support the revitalization of downtown Brampton.”
The BDDC submission focused on six points:
making the most effective use of existing public infrastructure
providing accessible health care services in the heart
of Brampton
supporting revitalization of downtown
generating economic spin-off benefits for the community
increasing overall capacity of the healthcare system
expediting the reopening
BDDC says the redevelopment of the hospital supports
both the City of Brampton’s strategy to revitalize downtown
and the Province’s Places to Grow strategy, which has
identified downtown Brampton as a priority growth node.
“Healthcare services should be provided where people
are concentrated and with considerable residential development
underway in the downtown core, these services are essential
amenities. Not only is this site the heart of the city,
it’s the geographic center with good accessibility,
soon to be enhanced by the addition of the AcceleRide
rapid transit project,” Mr. Davis said.
The BDDC submission highlights significant spin-off
opportunities and suggests the possibility of a campus
for research and development or medical education and
training that could attract professional and scientific
jobs providing a higher level of economic impact.
“Brampton is chronically under serviced in hospital
beds and healthcare services and the opening of Brampton
Civic Hospital this year has not rectified this situation.
It is evident that a second healthcare facility is an
immediate need to properly service the city’s rapidly
growing population,” Mr. Davis told the task force.
“Growing demand for health care services warrants immediate
attention and a solution. It is critical the provincial
government makes a funding commitment as soon as possible
for the redevelopment of the PMH campus as a hospital
beginning in 2009.”
Peel Memorial Hospital has been an integral part of
life in Brampton for the past 82 years, and the BDDC
has a strong interest in seeing its role as a healthcare
institution reinstated in the community, Mr. Davis said.
Eminent Brampton lawyer retires
Brampton lawyer J. Farquhar MacDonald has retired after
serving the Brampton community since March, 1969, as
part of Brampton’s largest law firm, Lawrence, Lawrence,
Stevenson LLP.
Farquhar remembers Brampton in those days as just beginning
to develop and grow. Some of his first clients were
farmers selling their land to developers: “We thought
the developers paid astonishingly high prices, but it
seems like a pittance now--$3,000 to $7,000 per acre.”
One such deal was the sale of farm land on Dixie Road,
at the site of what is now Rosedale Village. By contrast,
the same land today is worth about $500,000 per acre.
Many of those clients stayed with Lawrences over the
years, and Farquhar numbers second and third generations
of the same family among his clients. Called to the
Ontario bar in 1969 after graduating from Osgoode Hall
Law School in Toronto, Farquhar focused his practice
on commercial real estate, land development and municipal
law. As he began to take on the second generation in
family businesses, his practice grew to include business
succession, estate planning and administration.
What’s the biggest change he’s seen in Brampton? “It’s
much bigger and there’s more ethnic diversity.” And
the changes he’s seen in the practice of law? “There’s
much more specialization now, and more technology,”
comments Farquhar. “Clients expect—and get—much shorter
response times from their lawyers now.” However, he
adds, “There are more delays in dealing with government
and large institutions.”
Lawrences’ managing partner Heather Picken has worked
with Farquhar since being called to the bar in 1987.
“Having been a teacher before law school, he was a wonderful
mentor to the younger lawyers,” she remembers. “He had
a busy, successful practice, but he always managed to
find time for us. He would always see the client’s side
of things and be concerned about getting the client’s
business done. Right up to his retirement, I would go
to him for a second opinion on a tricky real estate
matter.”
Farquhar’s memory for people and properties is “phenomenal”,
says Heather. “He remembers every deal he’s done and
the name of every client involved. He even remembers
the names of their families. He’s had people come to
him to sell their parents’ property and he remembers
exactly when they bought it.” She thinks it’s thanks
to Farquhar’s insistence on excellence in client service
that Lawrences’ Real Estate and Estates Groups are on
such solid ground today: “It’s enabled us to branch
out into new areas of real estate law as development
changes.” One example is her own niche in commercial
condominiums.
Farquhar thinks it’s important that young lawyers starting
out today find an area of interest and develop expertise
in it that will distinguish them. He also thinks they
need practical skills to succeed: “Focus on organization
and efficient use of time.”
Today, Lawrences® is the largest law firm in the Brampton
area. Its many practice areas include commercial and
residential real estate, land development, corporate
and commercial, civil litigation, employment and labour,
and wills and estates.
Skills Without Borders enters Phase
2
The Brampton Board of Trade will launch Phase 2 of its
award-winning Skills Without Borders program this month,
building on the success of the first phase, which was
designed to raise awareness about labour needs in North
Peel and the ability of skilled immigrants to meet those
needs.
 In
the first phase, the BBOT conducted research on employers’
labour needs and surveyed employers to help better understand
some of the barriers to hiring skilled immigrants. A Resource
Guide was also developed and it provides information about
programs and services available to employers to facilitate
the employment of skilled immigrants, including job placement
services, language and accreditation programs, co-op and
internship programs, wage subsidies and mentorship programs.
The reports and the Resource Guide are available at www.skilswithoutborders.com.
“Overall, we had a very positive response from employers
and we feel it is important to continue to build on
the momentum we established a year ago,” says CEO Sheldon
Leiba.
Phase 2 is a direct response to issues raised by employers
related to hiring immigrants and accommodating cultural
practices in the workplace.
“Many of the employers we talked to in Phase 1 said
they required more information about what they law requires
and what constitutes best practices by progressive employers.”
This year the Board will introduce Diversity at Work
information sessions that will provide the information
employers are seeking. The Board will also develop a
resource for employers, designed to develop a greater
understanding of the needs and requirements skilled
immigrants have in the workplace.
Funding in part comes from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
The BBOT has also partnered with Toronto Region Immigrant
Employment Council (TRIEC), a partner in Phase 1, and
Skills for Change (SFC), an organization that has been
working with employers and immigrants for the past 25
years.
“The second phase will continue to build on the relationships
we established with employers in Phase 1. We hope to
educate the business community and employers about the
benefits of hiring immigrants, and provide them with
the tools they require to make that process a success,”
Leiba says.
Dr. Yamil Alonso, project coordinator in Phase 1, has
been hired to coordinate the next phase. Watch Trade
Talks for further details or visit www.skillswithoutborders.com.
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20 Journeys photo exhibit in
Brampton
The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)
is pleased to present 20 Journeys: A Visual Essay of
the Immigrant Experience at the Brampton Board of Trade’s
“After Business” event on Tuesday, February 12th at
the Bramalea City Centre. The exhibit is free and will
be onsite until Feb. 17.
20 Journeys tells the success stories of immigrants
entering the labour market and celebrates the programs
and employers that have shared in their milestones.
Immigrants from China, Columbia, Ghana, Greece, India,
Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the
UK and the Ukraine are all featured in the exhibit through
original photography and short narratives.
Nowhere is the importance of effectively including skilled
immigrants in the labour market more important than
the City of Brampton. In 2006, close to one half (47.8%)
of the population in Brampton, or 206,200 individuals,
was born outside of Canada. As one of the GTA’s largest
immigrant receiving centres, Brampton saw 42,900 new
immigrants settle between 2001 and 2006. The city is
highly dependent on immigration for its economic and
labour force growth, and benefits from the contributions
of this diverse and highly skilled community.
20 Journeys is part of TRIEC’s public awareness work
and has been displayed at BCE Place, the Toronto Board
of Trade, and the CBC. TRIEC's primary goal is to help
integrate skilled immigrants into the local labour market
by breaking down the barriers they face when looking
for work in the Toronto Region. TRIEC is pleased to
work with the Brampton Board of Trade on various projects.
Visit www.triec.ca for more information.
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