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“Hospitals are a responsibility of the Provincial Government
and it must be held accountable for ensuring that Brampton
has adequate hospital care to meet our needs. In addition
to the new hospital, Peel Memorial Hospital on Lynch
St. must be redeveloped just to keep pace with population
growth.”
Waters encouraged the business sector to support the
fundraising efforts of the hospital foundation and said
The Brampton Board of Trade will soon announce its own
campaign to help the hospital.
The cost of the hospital resurfaced earlier this year
when an article in the Brampton Guardian said William
Osler Hospital Foundation was falling short of its fundraising
targets (to meet the public’s 30 per cent share), and
that it would likely cause the new hospital to open
in October 2007 severely under capacity; as well as
potentially jeopardizing the future redevelopment of
the Peel Memorial Hospital site on Lynch St.
Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell said council may have
to consider a special hospital levy on the property
tax bill to meet the city’s obligation of about $120
million.
“Our first and foremost concern is that Brampton has
been severely under-serviced. Politics aside, this is
a very serious life-and-death issue for our community.
A new 608 bed Brampton Civic Hospital and the redevelopment
of Peel Memorial Hospital is desperately needed in a
community of over 425,000 residents and growing. We
should expect and demand nothing less,” Waters said.
Community fundraising has raised about $89 million
of the target of $120 million. “We all need to do our
part to support the campaign and encourage others to
contribute as well.”
Waters says the funding model for hospital development
is flawed. The 30 per cent community contribution was
developed at a time when the cost of health care and
building hospitals was much less than it is today. The
funding model was also developed when development levies
could be collected from new development, specifically
dedicated to funding hospital development, and would
be counted as part of the community’s 30 per cent contribution.
In 1997, the previous provincial Progressive Conservative
government eliminated development charges for hospitals.
“Growth should be paying for growth-related services
and infrastructure,” Waters said. “This policy must
be revisited.”
“Hospitals and hospital care are the responsibility
of the Province and we need our Provincial Government
to commit to funding any shortfalls and open our new
hospital close its full service capacity (as originally
planned) and to proceed with the redevelopment of the
Lynch St. site.”
He said parks, recreation centres, libraries and theatres
are the responsibility of municipalities – not hospitals.
“By using the property tax base to fund hospitals,
we are allowing the Province to abdicate its responsibility.
It sets a bad precedent. It doesn’t take into account
that this hospital will also service patients beyond
our borders, who would not be contributing through a
levy. And once introduced, a hospital levy on property
taxpayers will surely compromise the fundraising efforts
of the hospital foundation.”
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Borsato
to Sports Hall Of Fame
This year, the City of Brampton will induct seven
new members into its Sports Hall of Fame including Brampton
Board of Trade members and former hockey star Luciano
Borsato of Brampton.
Paul “Mac” McLean, will be inducted posthumously, and
Martha Branigan will be inducted into the Builders category.
Jim Moss, Tom Phair, Hans Porten, Shanyn MacEachern
and Borsato will be inducted into the Athletes category.
This year’s ceremony takes place on Wednesday, May 30
at the Pearson Convention Center. Tickets go on sale
April 2.
Borsato was a professional hockey player with a 14-year
career in Canada and Europe. Borsato started playing
hockey in the Chinguacousy Minor Hockey Association
before joining the Winnipeg Jets from 1991 to 1995.
He then went to Europe and played with the Cologne Sharks
from 1995 to 1997, Helsinki in the Finnish Elite League
from 1998 to 1999 and the Nurnburg Ice Tigers from 2000
to 2002. He now coaches minor hockey.
He is currently a partner in brampton.com, Brampton
Media Corp and bramptonnews.com.
McLean, otherwise known as “Mac”, was a highly respected
producer with TSN from 1987 up until his death in 2005.
Branigan has coached hockey for more than 25 years.
She volunteered as an instructor for the Brampton Canadettes
Hockey School and also served as a member of its executive
committee. Branigan volunteered with Brams United Girls
Soccer for eight seasons.
Moss, an incredibly gifted athlete, has excelled in
hockey, box lacrosse and field lacrosse. In 2006 Moss
was a member of Team Canada when they shocked the world
by upsetting the perennial powerhouse United States
team to capture the World Field Lacrosse Championship.
Phair, a sixth generation Bramptonian, has competed
on six Canadian National Field Lacrosse teams dating
back to 1988. Prior to helping Canada win the gold medal
at the 2006 World Field Lacrosse Championship, Phair
was a member of four silver and one bronze medal winning
Canadian teams. Phair was also a Mann Cup (box lacrosse)
winner in 2006 as a member of the Peterborough Lakers.
In 2006, Porten won a bronze medal in the Men’s 50
Master World Triathlon Championship held in Lausanne,
Switzerland. The course included a 1,500 metre swim,
a 40 kilometre bike course and a 10 kilometre run. Porten
won the Ontario 2006 Master (over 50) Athlete of the
Year Award, and is a strong contender for the Canadian
2006 Master Athlete of the Year.
From a very young age, MacEachern trained with great
determination and focus as a gymnast. She realized her
lifelong dream of being an Olympic athlete by representing
Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
She was also a two-time World Championship Team Canada
member.
The Brampton Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1979
by a group of dedicated sport enthusiasts in conjunction
with the Parks and Recreation Department. It is located
in the PowerAde Centre on Kennedy Road, south of Steeles
Avenue. Tickets for the induction ceremony will go on
sale April 2. Call 905-874-2975 or visit www.bramptonsports.ca
for more information.
Trow in top 50 best managed
 Brampton
Board of Trade member Trow Associates Inc. (Trow) has
been awarded a 2006 Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies
award. This prestigious national award is sponsored
by Deloitte, CIBC Commercial Banking, National Post
and Queen's School of Business. READ MORE
"This award is a tribute to Trow's strong leadership,
talented workforce and unsurpassed corporate values.
We are proud to include Trow as one of this year's Canada's
50 Best Managed Companies," says James McSherry,
Executive Vice President and Managing Director of CIBC
Commercial Banking, a national sponsor of the Best Managed
program.
Trow is a global engineering and consulting company
with offices across Canada, including Brampton, and
abroad. This company has grown at a rate approaching
20% per annum over the past several years, diversified
into new services and markets, and expanded geographically
into Alberta, British Columbia, Northern Ontario and
Quebec. Approaching 17 acquisitions in 10 years, eight
of those within the last two years alone, Trow has reinvented
itself as a full service, multi-disciplinary firm. With
staff of 1000, Trow is continuing on its path of strong
growth and sustainable earnings.
The Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies is a national
awards program, recognizing Canadian companies that
have implemented world-class business practices and
created value in innovative ways.
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Rogers
launches phones-for-food
Catherine Rivera (Board President of Ste. Louise
Food Bank), Alan Shulman (Director, Device Operations,
Rogers Wireless) and Jake Dheer (Station Manager,
Rogers Television) donate to the Phones for Food
program. Select Rogers Wireless devices will now
be sold with a postage-paid recycling envelope,
making it easier than ever to divert old cell phones
away from landfills and, instead, turn them into
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The Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) and the
Ste. Louise Food Bank, in partnership with national
sponsor Rogers Wireless, have launched a phones-for-food
campaign in Brampton.
For the first time in Canada, select new Rogers Wireless
devices will be sold with postage-paid recycling envelopes
in each box. READ MORE
The Phones-for-Food program began in 2003 as an initiative
by the Canadian Association of Food Banks in order to
alleviate hunger and divert waste from landfill sites.
Since its inception, over $300,000 has been generated
for food banks across the country. One wireless device,
depending on its age and condition, can be worth $2-$5
when donated, which is the equivalent to a jar of peanut
butter or a carton of milk.
“Last year in Brampton, more than 3100 people (1400
Children) accessed a food bank,” said Catherine Rivera,
Board President of Ste. Louise Food Bank, a member of
the Canadian Association of Food Banks. “We rely heavily
on programs like Phones-for-Food to help us purchase
food and staples. This would not be possible without
the support of Rogers Wireless who has truly been a
leader in finding an easy and convenient way for its
customers to donate their old wireless devices by including
a new postage-paid recycling envelope with all new purchases.”
“Rogers is thrilled to be the first Wireless provider
in Canada to offer a postage-paid recycling bag in select
new wireless device sales, “ said Sanae Takahashi, VP,
Consumer Marketing, Rogers Wireless. “We understand
how important it is to recycle used wireless devices
and divert waste from landfill and we encourage all
our customers to get involved and make a donation. Our
food banks and our environment need our help, and now
Rogers Wireless customers have the ability to make a
difference by recycling their old devices.”
Food banks such as Ste. Louise are dependent on the
goodwill within the local community. Items such as cereal,
canned meats, fish, vegetables, rice, pasta, sauces,
kids snacks, pancake mix, flour, syrup, oil & ketchup
very helpful. If people cannot donate food then funding
is always greatly appreciated and desperately needed.
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