Historic $500-million fundraising campaign launched

OTTAWA, ON , April 19, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation launched the historic $500-million Campaign to Create Tomorrow. This comprehensive fundraising campaign will transform healthcare not only in our community and across our country, but around the world.

The Campaign to Create Tomorrow is an unprecedented fundraising campaign — the largest in our city's history — focused on fulfilling the most ambitious vision ever for the future of The Ottawa Hospital to:

• build the New Campus Development on Carling Avenue that will be home to the most patient-centred and technologically advanced research hospital in Canada.
• push healthcare research and discoveries to the very top tier in the world.
• usher in the most advanced digital technology, including the largest data analytics platform in the country.
• further strengthen critical services from complex lifesaving surgeries to expertise in neurosurgery to remaining one of the largest and best-equipped regional cancer treatment centres.

Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, highlighted this as a historic moment in time for our city. "With the launch of the largest fundraising campaign in Ottawa's history, each of us can be part of a moment that future citizens of our community will someday look back on and realize, together, we revolutionized healthcare for generations to come. Our donors and volunteers have enthusiastically embraced this special moment in time, as this campaign supports one of the most important community legacy projects of our lifetime."

At the launch, Roger Greenberg, the Executive Chairman of The Minto Group and the Executive Chairman and Managing Partner of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, was officially announced as Chair of the Campaign to Create Tomorrow. He took the opportunity to announce the single-largest healthcare donation in Ottawa's history — $25 million from the shareholders of The Minto Group: Roger, his five siblings, and his cousin. "It is an incredible opportunity we've been given to help so many through our philanthropy. We, along with the generosity of so many others, will completely transform how our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren living in the Greater Ottawa area will be cared for. No one else will do this for us. It's our turn. It's our time."

Bushra Saeed-Khan, trauma survivor and amputee, emphasized how it's time for single-patient rooms and a new campus that will epitomize excellence in universal accessibility. "While I received exceptional care when I arrived at the Trauma Centre in 2010, I quickly learned how outdated the Civic Campus had become. The Ottawa Hospital team gave me my life back, and now it's time to give them the state-of-the-art campus they need — a building that will allow them to care for patients into the future. It's time to make this a reality."

Michael Runia, Chair of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Board, explained that this vision for healthcare will elevate Ottawa on the world stage. "As a business leader in the Nation's Capital, I believe that having access to world-class healthcare translates into an opportunity for organizations of all sizes and scale to attract top talent to this incredible city of ours. We will soon have a hospital that matches the capabilities of our people."

To learn more about the Campaign to Create Tomorrow in support of The Ottawa Hospital, visit CreatingTomorrow.ca.

About The Ottawa Hospital: 

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada's top learning and research hospitals, where excellent care is inspired by research and driven by compassion. As the third-largest employer in Ottawa, our support staff, researchers, nurses, physicians, and volunteers never stop seeking solutions to the most complex healthcare challenges. 

Our multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, attracts some of the most influential scientific minds from around the world. Our focus on learning and research leads to new techniques and discoveries that are adopted globally to improve patient care. 

We are the Regional Trauma Centre for eastern Ontario and have been accredited with Exemplary Standing for healthcare delivery — the highest rating from Accreditation Canada. We are also home to world-leading research programs focused on cancer therapeutics, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, chronic disease, and practice-changing research. 

Backed by generous support from the community, we are committed to providing the world-class, compassionate care we would want for our loved ones. 

For more information about The Ottawa Hospital, visit OHFoundation.ca.   

SOURCE The Ottawa Hospital Foundation

Media contact: Shelley McLean, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, [email protected], 613-324-4466