For Immediate Release

FormerPeelMemorialHospitalhoped to be the prime location

Redeveloped Peel Memorial site offers hope for ErinoakKids desired partnership

ErinoakKids • 16 August 2011 – On Tuesday morning the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Natural Resources and MPP for Brampton-Springdale, took the podium near the front entrance to the defunct Peel Memorial Hospital (PMH) in Brampton to announce the site’s redevelopment. “This morning we’re here to deliver on a long-anticipated promise to our community in Brampton,” she said.

Flanked by Minister of Health, Deb Matthews, and fellow Brampton MPPs Dr. Kuldip Kular and Amrit Mangat, as well as Matthew Anderson, President & CEO of William Osler Health System (WOHS) and other distinguished guests including former Premier Bill Davis, Jeffrey announced the site is slated to become a state-of-the-art integrated health facility – the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health & Wellness.

Reaction at ErinoakKids is strong

Minister Jeffrey’s announcement is great news for WOHS and the City of Brampton,offered ErinoakKids Board Chair Steve Bishop, who was on hand for the announcement. “We are very hopeful to partner with them on the redevelopment of the site,” Bishop said.

Indeed, after years of advocacy, ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development, the province’s largest treatment centre for children with disabilities, received Ontario government approval in May to build three new state-of-the-art facilities to replace its current aging and inadequate facilities.

“The announcement this spring of project approval was everything families of children with disabilities have been hoping for,” said ErinoakKids President and CEO, Bridget Fewtrell. “We have been in discussion with WOHSabout co-locatingon the PMH site as a way to collectively better serve the population of Brampton. This site is ideal because the location iscentral to the fastest-growing segment of the ErinoakKids service area, namely Brampton, Caledon and a portion of Mississauga. Now that the hospital redevelopment is approved along with our own, the prospect that they will be linked is truly exciting.”

ErinoakKids currently provides a broad range of treatment and therapy to almost 12,000 children,as well as support services for their families in Peel, Halton and DufferinCounties. Demand for service is increasing at a rate of 20 per cent annually in Peel (Brampton), one of only two areas in Ontario where the child population is growing.

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An indication of government’s responsiveness to the needs of children

ErinoakKids’ current main site in Mississauga was built in 1978 and has long since been outgrown. As a stopgap, the organization has for years rented space at eight other sites to try to meet demand while continuing to lobby for new modern facilities. “Our rented sites are not designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities and challenges, but we’ve had to make do,” said Fewtrell. “New facilities, designed to properly treat children with an array of physical, developmental and other challenges is the best news we could have ever received, an indication of government’s responsiveness to the needs of children.” Projections over the next 25 years have shown that the cost of the project will be less than the cost of continuing to rent new quarters on an ad hoc basis.

Fewtrell added that the long-sought project approval came as a result of steadfast support from all MPPs representing ridings across the area ErinoakKids serves. Fewtrell gave special thanks to Linda Jeffrey, who as the MPP for Brampton-Springdalecontinually pressed for approval of the project to better serve her constituency, and who has been a stalwart advocate for placement of ErinoakKids largest site at the Peel Memorial site. “Once completed, the site will play a vital role as a multipurpose health centre,” Jeffrey said. And she added, “Our residents need and, frankly, deserve more health care.”

Project meets an urgent need

Completion of the project is nothing if not urgent. New facilities will meet demand projected to grow an additional 40 per cent by 2013/14 alone. By 2029 demand on ErinoakKids facilities is expected to be 125 per cent higher than in 2009. Right now, ErinoakKids has only 73,000 Departmental Gross Square Feet (DGSF) of space to meet therapy demands, but requires more than 218,000 DGSF total to serve the current client base. The new Bramptonfacility will feature five levels with 123,465 DGSFof state-of-the-art space to include expanded respite capacity along with therapy and treatment programs, clinical and family support services, outdoor programming and other essentialservices. Plans for two additional satellite sites, one in Mississauga and one in Halton, are also underway.

The new Brampton site as envisioned by Zeidler Partnership Architects.

For further information, please contact:

Bridget Fewtrell

President and CEO

ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development

905-491-4440