The best piece of good news in many years came in March when the Ontario government announced it is committed to rebuilding Brantford General Hospital.
We’ve known for years we needed a new hospital, but when the current government took power in 2018, we weren’t on the list to get one.
Over the last few years, there was an intense effort to make it happen. This was a real community endeavor, led by the Brant Community Healthcare System. MPP Will Bouma did stellar work lobbying at Queen’s Park. Brant County Mayor David Bailey, Six Nations Elected Chief Mark Hill and I put the pressure on provincial officials. I brought it up at every meeting I had with cabinet ministers and even the premier.
We made a strong case. One compelling argument was that the province wants to see our region grow to 160,000 residents, but we didn’t have a hospital that could handle all those people.
We’ll start to see some changes soon. A new emergency department will be built in a year or two. Then the mental health wing will be replaced.
Eventually, a new, eight-story, 450-bed tower will be built on St. Paul Avenue, on the site of the old fire hall and parking lot. It will connect across Terrace Hill Street to the new emergency department and the high-rise D Wing, which was built just 15 years ago at a cost of $250 million. When the new building is ready, older buildings will be knocked down.
The new BGH will mean much better care for patients in a modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment. Staff will have a better working environment allowing them to supply the level of care they’re trained for. It will make it easier to recruit new doctors, nurses and other staff. It will make Brantford, Brant and surrounding areas more attractive to businesses that want to expand or locate here.
We are, though, at the first stage of a complex project. It will be about 10 years before everything is finished.
It will also be an expensive project, worth about $1.3 billion.
For any new hospital in Ontario, the province pays 90 per cent of the cost. It insists that the community contribute the remaining 10 per cent. The community also has to pay for furnishings and equipment upgrades.
That means we, as a community, may have to raise as much as $200 million.
It won’t be easy, and everyone will have to pitch in, but I know we can do it. Whenever we’ve faced a challenge in the past, we’ve risen to the occasion.
The BCHS Foundation will lead the fundraising effort, but they will be turning to individuals, businesses, community groups and local governments to help.
At city hall, I want to set up a special account where we can start putting money away now, so we’ll have what we need in seven or eight years. I would like to do it without imposing a burden on property taxpayers.
So, in the future, if we sell a piece of land or have an operating surplus, we can put some of that money into the BGH account. There may be other revenues we can put into the fund, too. The city will also be donating the land for the new tower.
When the new BGH rises, we’ll finally have the hospital we need and deserve.