Vaughan hospital says it will not remove Muzzo name

Globalnews.ca
June 22, 2022
Isaac Callan

A hospital in Vaughan will continue to bear the family name of Marco Muzzo, the impaired driver who killed three children and their grandfather in a horrific 2015 crash, the healthcare network that runs it says.

On Monday, Global News reported that Edward Lake, the father of the three children who died, was found deceased the day after Father’s Day. He died by suicide.

“This is an incredibly tragic situation and our hearts are with the Neville-Lake family as they mourn another heartbreaking loss,” a spokesperson for Mackenzie Health said.

However, the spokesperson said the name of Muzzo’s family would continue to adorn the side of the brand new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.

In 2017, after the crash occurred and while Muzzo was serving the prison sentence associated with it, Mackenzie Health accepted a donation of $15 million from the De Gasperis and Muzzo families to build the new hospital. The organization committed to naming a wing of the new facility the “De Gasperis-Muzzo Tower.”

The latest tragedy suffered by Jennifer Neville-Lake, the surviving wife of Edward Lake and mother of their three children, has not changed the health network’s position.

“We understand the strong emotions people have expressed related to the recognition displayed on our hospital, and we accept and respect their concerns,” Mackenzie Health said.

The site of the hospital is about 10 kilometres from where Muzzo struck and killed nine-year-old Daniel Neville-Lake, his five-year-old brother Harrison, their two-year-old sister Milly and the children’s 65-year-old grandfather, Gary Neville, on Sept. 27, 2015 in Vaughan.

The Muzzo family owns the drywall company Marel Contractors and is worth nearly $1.8 billion, according to Canadian Business magazine.

An online petition calling for the name to be removed has gained more than 1,700 signatures since it was launched Tuesday.

“We do not have any plans to remove the signage on the building as it recognizes the family’s long history of philanthropy, including many generous donations to Mackenzie Health,” Mackenzie Health said. “Their contributions helped build an exceptional health care facility for the community and for that we are very grateful.”

In February 2021, Muzzo was granted full parole.