Vaughan mayor unfazed by developer's hospital ad

YorkRegion.com
March 3, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

The non-profit group that spearheaded efforts to bring a hospital to Vaughan, before it was squeezed out, is attacking the provincial government for moving too slowly toward completing the project.

And it is proposing to fill the gap, by building “top-tier health care services” on a portion of the city-owned lands around the future hospital, at Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive.

The Vaughan Health Campus of Care (VHCC), headed by influential real estate developer Michael DeGasperis, has launched a campaign, in local media and online, to get its message out.

Mr. DeGasperis has not responded to requests for comment, but in an advertisement in the Vaughan Citizen, the VHCC slams the provincial government.

“For too long, Vaughan residents have been forced to make long commutes and pay sky-high Toronto parking prices to see a specialist or have a test done,” the newspaper ad states. “This current government has been promising a hospital for 10 years and what do we have to show for it? Nothing. Not a single shovel in the ground. Vaughan can’t afford to wait any longer.”

The ad goes on to state that the VHCC’s “vision” is to “create a cluster of top-tier health care services on land the hospital doesn’t need.”

A similar message can be found on VHCC’s website, vaughanhealthcare.com, and its Facebook page.

VHCC’s goal, according to its website, is to provide a wide range of services, including senior citizens care, mental health supports, breast cancer and prostate cancer screening, diagnostic services and an injury rehabilitation clinic.

“Unlike politicians, the VHCC’s leadership have proven they can get a job like this done, and are committed to seeing that all Vaughan residents have access to better care, closer to home,” reads a statement on the website.

It’s unclear exactly how the VHCC intends to achieve that, given the city has repeatedly stated an agreement it struck with the non-profit group, back in 2009, to transfer control of the entire 82-acre hospital land site is dead.

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said he isn’t fazed by the VHCCs efforts to discredit the work being done to get the hospital up and running.

“The advertising doesn’t really change much in substance, in the sense that we’re working very hard to make sure the Mackenzie Vaughan hospital is built,” he said. “We have, of course, the support of the province, the approval of the province so the shovels are going to go in the ground in 2015. “

The city is, reportedly, close to inking a long-term lease deal with Mackenzie Health for the 14.7 hectare (44 acres) of land set aside specifically for the hospital.

“The reality is that the land is owned by the citizens of Vaughan and no special interest group owns the land,” Mr. Bevilacqua said. “It is being paid for by the citizens and that is who owns the land. And the fiduciary responsibility for that land lies with city council.”  

Vaughan Liberal MPP Steven Del Duca echoed much of what the mayor had to say.

“The government is on track. We are delivering this hospital as per the commitment and the timeline that we have always talked about,” he said. “I am also delighted to be working closely with the folks at Mackenzie Health and the folks at the City of Vaughan. Everyone is working very, very hard to make sure that we deliver this project for the community because it is deserved and it is much needed.”

Mackenzie Health representatives declined to comment.

At this point, it’s also unclear if the VHCC’s is hoping to discredit the Liberal government in advance of a possible spring provincial election.

The campus of care group has close ties to Conservatives, both provincially and federally.

Vaughan PC candidate Peter Meffe served as the organization’s vice-president of planning, while Vaughan Conservative MP Julian Fantino helped the VHCC land a controversial $10-million grant from the federal government in 2011.

Mr. Del Duca said the Vaughan hospital should not be used to score political points.

“I’ve long been on record, publicly on record, as saying the hospital is the kind of issue that, by definition, is supposed to bring a community together. This is not the kind of project that should, in any way shape or form, be dealt with in a partisan way,” Mr. Del Duca said. “The really great news from my perspective is that it is not only the Ontario Liberal government that is clearly on record as making sure this Mackenzie Vaughan hospital gets built on time. Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs have publicly confirmed their support for the process that Mackenzie Health is undertaking to make sure the hospital gets delivered.

“That’s good news to me because there’s a recognition that this is not a partisan issue, this is about doing what is right for the community of Vaughan.”