Vic De Zen, family, donate $10 million to Vaughan hospital
Hospital's main lobby to be named Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 27, 2016
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Billionaire businessman Vic De Zen, and his family, delivered a $10 million boost to the Vaughan hospital fundraising campaign.

“Vaughan is where my family was raised, and also continues to live; where I built a successful business with thousands of employees (who live) here and in the surrounding area,” the 74-year-old, longtime Woodbridge resident told a large crowd gathered at city hall Tuesday for the donation announcement.

“I’m really proud to be able to give back to this great city, and help the community, by helping to build a world-class hospital in Vaughan. They need it and they deserve it.”

De Zen’s donation is the largest, to date, from an individual to the Mackenzie Health Foundation’s $250-million fundraising campaign to help cover the cost of building and equipping the hospital, for which the final price tag has yet to be revealed.

In recognition of the gift, the main lobby of the hospital, now slated for completion in 2020, will be named the Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre.

“This is, indeed, a very exciting time for our community,” Altaf Stationwala, Mackenzie Health president and CEO, said. “Mackenzie Vaughan hospital will be the first hospital to be built in the City of Vaughan and it will be the first new hospital to be built in York Region in over 30 years. We have reached this milestone because of our generous community.”

De Zen, who emigrated from Italy in 1962, owns and operates plastics manufacturer Vision Extrusions Group Ltd. and ZZEN Group, a real estate development, construction and property management firm.

His net worth is pegged at $1 billion, according to Canadian Business magazine, putting him in 91st spot on the country’s 100 richest people list.

He was joined at the announcement by his wife, Angelina, son Sergio and other family members.

The De Zen’s youngest son, James (Jimmy), passed away last year, at 46.

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua praised De Zen for giving back to the community.

“This is what the city is all about. Vic De Zen is really the embodiment of the spirit of generosity,” he said. “Today was really about humility, compassion, caring and love of city. “