Cortellucci family donates $40 million to Vaughan’s hospital

Donations to Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital now reaches $160 million

Yorkregion.com
June 14, 2019
Shelia Wang

The Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital has now collected a whopping $160 million in donations after the Cortellucci family pledged $40 million during the mayor’s gala Thursday.

The gala, attended by at least 900 people, had Premier Doug Ford on stage congratulating Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua after the latter unveiled the big cheque.

Before breaking the news of the generous donation to the hospital -- slated to open its doors in 2020 -- Bevilacqua shared a story of how his father used to work in construction, receiving some of his payroll from the Cortelluci family.

At the time, when Bevilacqua was 12, his family needed money but had to send an invoice to receive the paycheque. But his father told him to call the Cortellucis to make the request over the phone because they “understand.”

Bevilacqua said after 45 years, they still “understand,” alluding to the big donation they made.

The donation to the hospital comes less than a year after the Cortelluci family donated $3 million to Hospice Vaughan, which is naming its new 10-bed facility the Mario and Nick Cortellucci Hospice Palliative Care Centre of Excellence.