Look for hospital ground breaking in December; they might have to use a jackhammer which would be appropriate.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  March 28, 2012  Did you hear the one about the two cars driving west along the QEW?   You really don`t want the details but there were two vehicles that came back to civilization from the Big Smoke where they were locked up in a room with thick documents in front of them.

Burlington sent two of its brighter lights into the city to take part in that budget tradition of locking up a bunch of journalists in the same room where they could swap tales and then rush through the document and write up their stories.  In the days when Toronto had three daily newspapers each looked for an angle that was unique to its audience.

Today the “lockup” has more lobbyists in the room than actual journalists, each there to put a specific spin on the budget.

Two of Burlington's best spent much of Tuesday locked up in a room reading the budget document.

Having done that sort of thing with federal budgets I chose not to walk into the room but Mario Joanette, VP Communications for the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, and a political junkie if there ever was one, drove into town, snagged a good parking spot because he knows his way around the Legislature and settled in for a day with his chums.

Frank McKeown on the other hand had never been in a  “lock up”`so  for him it was a totally new experience.  It will be interesting to hear what he learned.

The news out of the budget was good for Burlington and its hospital hopes and good for the municipal sector overall.   Neither Joanette nor Mayor Goldring were totally surprised by the news.  Joanette says the hospital is on track and are close to having a “functional plan”  – should be done in a couple of weeks then it goes to the technical people and the architects.  “We are still on for the start of construction sometime in December, states Joanette.

Henry Decker is the Director at the hospital who will oversee the actual construction from the hospitals perspective..

Mayor Goldring is very pleased to see the announcement out there for everyone else to see.  Goldring has been in continued contact with people at Infrastructure Ontario, the people who will handle the construction of the hospital and handle the different tendering’s and bid selections.  He has had conversations with the Minister of Health and Long Term Care, Deb Matthews,  who was re-assuring in her conversations but she wasn’t the Minister of Finance – and that’s where the financial decisions were made.

The hospital has relied heavily on Ted McMeekin, the Minster of Agriculture in neighbouring Flamborough constituency.  McMeekin clearly did great stuff for Burlington but wasn’t able to save the Grimsby hospital.

With the doubt that was in the air now gone the mood in the city will get more positive.  Hospital Foundation Fund Raising Chairman Brian Torsney can now get out his telephone list and start making calls.  His Board can expect a breakfast meeting to be called real soon; they have some catching up to do.  The city of Burlington has $8.4 million of its $60 million share in the bank collecting interest.

Mayor Goldring expects the agreement between the hospital and the city to be completed “shortly”, which isn’t exactly a unit of measurement, and suggested that it could be up to eight weeks before the document gets to City Council.

This is the crew that will head up the raising of $60 million from the community. Back row (l-r): Elizabeth Law, Susan Moore, Carmela Friday, Stephen Friday, Brian Heagle, Mel Griffin, Peter Hogarth, Michael O'Sullivan, Randy Smallbone (Treasurer) Front row (l-r): Kevin Brady, Eric Vandewall, Brian Torsney (Chair), Brenda Hunter (First Vice Chair), Anissa Hilborn (Foundation President)

While there were doubts, concerns and a lot of questions about the redevelopment of the hospital,  the budget read on Tuesday has put those to rest.  The Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital is going to be redeveloped – you won’t recognize the place when they are finished.  The only thing that can change the plans at this point is the government failing to get  its budget passed in the Legislature and the calling of an election.  How will Burlington’s MPP Jane McKenna vote on this budget – will she follow her political party or will she vote for the hospital re-development her constituents want so dearly,  and for which she campaigned for during the October election.  Politics is a funny business at times.

The hard hats for the ground breaking ceremony that could take place in December are on order.

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