:eek2:

The recommendation of London as the site for the $50-million hospital is 'a defining moment' for the city.


After a five-year roller-coaster ride, London has been picked -- for the second time -- as the home for the Shriners $50-million Canadian children's hospital. A beaming Tony Dagnone, fresh from a conference call with Shriners meeting in Maui, Hawaii, announced the decision at a packed news conference yesterday.

"London has experienced a defining moment," Dagnone said as the room full of Shriners and members of the city's bid committee erupted in cheers.

The board's choice to go with London rather than the other bidders for the 40-60 bed hospital -- Montreal and Ottawa -- was unanimous, Dagnone said.

Gene Bracewell, treasurer of the Shriners and head of the hospital selection committee, said the board is fully behind the choice of London.

"We are going full tilt now," Bracewell said from Maui.

"I am sure Montreal is disappointed and they are great people there, as is Ottawa, but we have to look at doing what is best for the kids in the future.

"They do fantastic work in Montreal, but the future is brighter in London for research, for robotics, telemedicine and everything."

The hospital will mean 100 new medical jobs for the city, including specialists and researchers, Dagnone said.

The board's choice must be ratified by two-thirds of the 1,200 voting delegates to the international fraternity's convention in Baltimore in July.

Dagnone and others said they expect a tough fight from Montreal, which has been home to the Shriners' only Canadian hospital since 1925 and will be losing the facility.

Reaction in Ottawa and Montreal was sharply negative, with an Ottawa official calling it the worst possible decision for children and Montreal promising to campaign to keep the hospital.

Montreal's mayor vowed to fight for the hospital until the end.

A year ago, the Shriners' board unanimously backed building the new hospital in London, but after Montreal launched a vigorous campaign to overturn the decision, delegates in Denver last July voted to continue considering Montreal, Ottawa and London.

Grant Fotheringham, potentate of the Shriners' 3,800-member Mocha Temple in London, said his group will work to ensure the recommendation is passed at the convention in Baltimore.

Fotheringham said he's confident they will succeed, adding: "It is going to be a big task."

A spokesperson for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty cautiously welcomed the Shriners' announcement and pledged that the premier and Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman would work with the fraternity before the final vote.

"It is only a recommendation, but we are very happy," said McGuinty spokesperson Jane Almeida. "We are pleased that Ontario is one step closer to getting the hospital."

London Health Sciences Centre has offered the Shriners a 2.4-hectare site on the proposed hospital's Victoria campus at Wellington and Base Line roads.

"This really is an historical moment for this community," London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco said. "It says that we can really make things happen in this community."

Fotheringham said the 1,200 delegates to the Baltimore convention will receive a package a month in advance explaining the reasons for the board's recommendation to move the hospital to London.

Mocha Shriners will also work to reassure Shriners in the eastern U.S. and Atlantic Canada they won't face additional costs and inconvenience with the hospital being built in London instead of Montreal.

"As Shriners, we have to keep this as a business decision," Fotheringham said. "We have to do this for the best of the children."

Dr. Kellie Leitch, head of pediatric orthopedic surgery in London, said the Shriners' decision is "spectacular" and will energize the city's medical community.

"It is a huge opportunity for providing better surgical care, as well as pediatric care, to the children of Southwestern Ontario and Ontario," she said.

The Shriners' hospital site selection committee first visited London more than five years ago as it launched its search for a site.

Dagnone credited London's successful bid to work by his hospital board, medical staff, the City of London, the University of Western Ontario, the London Airport Authority, city businesses and the Mocha Shriners.

Ontario's premier and health minister also played crucial roles. Dagnone made special mention of London MPP and Labour Minister Chris Bentley for quietly making sure the issue was given the necessary attention by the government.

"The Shriners chose us because they had confidence in all of the people associated with London. That would be the No. 1 factor in their decision."





Copyright © The London Free Press

Good work London!!!!!!
This will further enhance London't reputation as one of the prmier medical cities in the world.s

We have to wait until after they stop the boo hooing in Montreal and Ottawa to the Shriners and they ratify the final vote.

:bash:
Unsuccessful bidders Montreal and Ottawa vocally oppose choice of London.


The battle in Baltimore for the Shriners new Canadian hospital will be hard fought and has the potential to turn nasty, it was made clear yesterday. London officials said they were disappointed with the shots fired at the city by Montreal and Ottawa after it was announced Wednesday that London had been recommended by the Shriners board for the international fraternity's $50-million children's hospital.

"If it was another city that had been picked, we would have congratulated them," Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco said yesterday.

Instead, the head of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Garry Cardiff, said children lost when London was picked.

The head of the Karnak Shrine in Montreal said the recommendation was "neither in the interest of children nor medical research."

On top of that, most of the staff at the Montreal Shriners hospital have already indicated they have no intention of moving, said hospital chairperson Gary Morrison.

Montreal's committee has said it will work to defeat the recommendation at the Shriners Baltimore convention, where 1,200 delegates will vote on the issue.

Building a hospital in London will require the approval of two-thirds of the delegates.

Tony Dagnone, head of London's bid committee, said the comments were "mind boggling."

"The statements from Montreal and Ottawa to me show one thing and one thing only. They show disrespect for the Shriner leadership and governance," he said yesterday.

"I think this noise about protesting in Baltimore is fast approaching unprofessionalism. All they are going to do is to be divisive."

None of the three contenders were disclosing their precise strategies yesterday for swaying the delegates to the Shriners Baltimore convention, most of whom will be Americans.

DeCicco and Dagnone both said they will be in Baltimore as part of London's campaign.

"This is one of the most important decisions that has ever been made for the city of London and we are going to do everything we can to bring it home," DeCicco said.

"If it takes all of my time from now to then, I will devote all of my time to it."

The mayor of Montreal, the chairperson of the Shriners hospital and the chief executive of the McGill University Health Centre have also said they will be in Baltimore to push their points.

Arthur Porter, chief executive at the McGill University Health Centre, said his goal is to convince Shriners that a hospital is more than bricks and mortar -- it is also nurses, doctors and researchers who have relationships with other faculty.

"We feel programs like this are very hard to replicate in quick time," he said. "We want the Shriners to have all the facts and then let them make their decision."

Morrison also said the Montreal campaign will be a matter of putting facts before the Shriners and letting them make a democratic decision.

"I don't blame any city for wanting to have a Shriners hospital in their backyard. Why wouldn't they? These are absolutely tremendous hospitals and they do great work. But we have one and I'm sure they don't blame us for wanting to keep it."





Copyright © The London Free Press

London just has to stick with it's guns... keep promoting it's points to the shriners as well... Montreal & Ottawa will just look like sore, bitter losers in the shriners eyes...

Montreal and Ottawa need to chill out...at least it went to another Canadian city.
London is the medical capital of Canada... it's all good.

How's London, Ontario the medical capital of Canada? It doesn't have many medical facilities or hospitals compare it to like Toronto. Not even close. :eek2:

^ well, it does have the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, where Insulin was discovered by Fred Banting, and held at hospitals here include:

first heart-lung transplant in Canada, world's first liver-bowel transplant, first adult-to-adult living liver transplant done in Canada, first kidney-pancreas transplant is done in London, among a lot of hospitals, although Toronto does have a considerable amount of discoveries and events in Canadian medical history as well, but Toronto isn't really a primarily medically-focused city, it focuses on many other things besides medical research. Maybe it could be proper to call London one of the medical capitals of Canada, but maybe not THE.

I hope London gets the hospital, although this is really good news, most of the hard work is done, now it's up to the vote for the shriners, and a lot of shriners live around the London area, so they could have an advantage there, although I'm not sure what role that will play. But this hospital will be a huge boost for London economically and increase its reputation as a medical capital of Canada.

The Shriners have a $108-million hospital on the drawing board for London, more than double early estimates for the children's facility. The dollar figure, along with prices for hospitals in Ottawa and Montreal, was included in a confidential Shriners report tabled at a board meeting last Wednesday in Maui.

Leaked to newspapers in Ottawa, the report reveals why London won the unanimous backing of the hospital site selection committee, a recommendation that also has the unanimous backing of the Shriners international board.

The project must still be voted on and passed by two-thirds of the delegates at the Shriners convention in Baltimore in July.

Other details contained in the report tabled in Maui:

- The Shriners plan to build an above-ground, 300-space parking garage at whatever site is approved.

- It is anticipated if the hospital moves to London, the entire staff and administration at the Shriners Montreal hospital would probably have to be replaced.

- Both London and Montreal are willing to have the Shriners hospital handle elective surgery.

In selecting London, the six-member selection committee considered the specific hospital sites, public transportation, financial incentives and medical research.

Early in its report, the committee ranked Ottawa as the "least desirable choice."

The city's medical leaders, the administrative spokesperson for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and the hospital board's past chairperson made it clear, according to the committee, that they didn't "need nor want" a Shriners hospital.

"During very frank discussion at our meeting with them, they said we would be in competition," the committee reported.

In comparing sites, the committee noted London was offering a highly visible parcel of "virgin" land next to its children's hospital.

Montreal's site at an old railroad yard is heavily contaminated, but would be acceptable if cleaned as planned, the committee said.

For financial incentives, all governments were willing to forgive service fees, taxes and development fees.

Montreal was willing to give the Shriners title to the land, but if the hospital was ever moved, it wanted first right to buy the facility at the market value, minus the land value.

London was willing to sell the Shriners the land for $2 million and put the money into an account for recruiting staff. If the hospital was moved, London only asked for first right of refusal on the land and facility at their market value.

London's bid was also bolstered by a commitment from the business community to build a $1.5-million parent housing building for the Shriners hospital.

One concern with building a hospital in Montreal was the competition for raising money for the facility. McGill, McGill University Health Centre and Centre hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal will be trying to raise $400 million at the same time as the Shriners would be trying to raise money.

"In London, there would be no competition for capital dollars by LHSC. In fact, they have offered co-operation and assistance in any SHC (Shriners hospital) fundraising efforts," the report said.

Regarding transportation, a critical issue for the Shriners, the committee said Montreal's international airport was a positive for the city.

However, London will have direct flights to Halifax by summer, the committee said.

"A big plus for London is the fact the Mocha Shriners have volunteered to shuttle patients to and from the Toronto airport if needed or desired," the committee said.

According to their report, the biggest concern would be higher transportation costs for patients from the Atlantic provinces.

But Air Canada, Via Rail and business leaders in London have offered direct and indirect financial help.

"We do not believe a move from Montreal will be detrimental," the report said.

The committee report downplayed concerns that medical research would be harmed if the hospital left Montreal.

While praising Montreal researchers for their work on brittle bone disease and giving the Shriners respectability throughout the world, the committee said the work has now moved from the laboratory bench to the bedside. That means new research programs will have to be developed, the committee said.

"It is our firm belief that all three sites considered have renowned researchers and that we would not have a significant problem beginning a new program that would fit the Shrine mission," the report said.





Copyright © The London Free Press

How's London, Ontario the medical capital of Canada? It doesn't have many medical facilities or hospitals compare it to like Toronto. Not even close. :eek2:
I've heard stories of people comming from B.C to get medical attention in London. It's just where the shit is.
It has been for years.

London also has the only convention centre in the country that is geared towards medical conferences.

How's London, Ontario the medical capital of Canada? It doesn't have many medical facilities or hospitals compare it to like Toronto. Not even close. :eek2:

It doesn't matter that Toronto has more hospitals or medical facilities. London has been the leader of medical research in this country....there are several MASSIVE hospital complexes in this city and it's all interconnected so well with medical programs at the university of Western Ontario. And the research facilities are second to none.....why else do you think Canada's 10th biggest city is doing so well in swaying the shriners away from Canada's 2nd and 4th largest city?

:eek2: London lands pioneering surgeon to national research and training centre
(LONDON, Ontario) London has attracted an internationally renowned surgeon and scientist to further develop its world-class program of research in minimally invasive surgery and interventions at London Health Sciences Centre.

Dr. Christopher Schlachta has joined the senior leadership team at CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics) as Medical Director, to facilitate further academic and scientific growth as well as provide leadership in new research grant development and recruitment of scientists.

“In the face of a national demand for hospitals to recruit the best, we are pleased that Dr. Schlachta chose to come to London”, says Tony Dagnone, President and Chief Executive Officer, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). “It further strengthens the hospital’s commitment to providing the best possible care.”

Dr. Schlachta comes to London from Toronto where he held a leadership role at St. Michael’s Hospital as Division Head of General Surgery. Originally from Montreal, Dr. Schlachta trained in general surgery at The University of Western Ontario where he developed an interest in laparoscopic surgery and minimally invasive surgery. He has since gone on to establish a national and international reputation for clinical excellence and innovation in the field.

“I am very excited to be working with the outstanding research teams at CSTAR to build on its reputation as a world leader in discovery, development, training, and most importantly to continue to advance patient care”, says Dr. Schlachta. “Research has proven that the benefits of minimally-invasive surgery including robotics, are less trauma to the patient, quicker recovery time and a shorter hospital stay. The future potential of these technologies is limitless.”

Dr. Schlachta will also practice as a general surgeon at both LHSC and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (SJHC) and will join The University of Western Ontario’s Department of Surgery as an Associate Professor.

“As Londoners, we are proud of our city’s strong reputation as a centre of health excellence,” notes Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco. “And, Dr. Schlachta’s welcome arrival at CSTAR once again reinforces our keen ability to recruit the best and the brightest to our community.”

“Dr. Schlachta’s appointment as Medical Director is an important step in the continuation of CSTAR’s international leadership position in the area of minimally-invasive surgical and interventional technologies and techniques”, explains Dr. Joseph Gilbert, Chief Administrative Officer at Lawson Health Research Institute.

“He is a welcome addition to our league of scientists at Lawson who perform leading edge clinical and basic research which ultimately benefits patient care.”

According to Dr. John Denstedt, Citywide Chief of Surgery at LHSC and SJHC, “Dr. Schlachta is part of the new wave of professionals that is helping to bring life and time-saving techniques into operating rooms for patients in London, across Canada and around the world. Continued collaboration between all partners, including the Department of Surgery at The University of Western Ontario, will enable optimal success of this pioneering program.”

Bigraphy:
Dr. Christopher M. Schlachta is originally from Montreal, where he completed his undergraduate degree and medical school at McGill University.

After interning at the Toronto General Hospital he trained in General Surgery at the University of Western Ontario. It was there that he first developed an interest in laparoscopic surgery and returned to Toronto as the inaugural fellow of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Program at the former Wellesley Hospital.

After two and half years of subspecialty training in laparoscopic surgery and a certificate in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research from U of T he joined the staff at Wellesley and the faculty of the University of Toronto.

Just four years into practice he was appointed Division Head of General Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital where he has received awards for medical student and resident teaching as well as authoring more than 100 published abstracts, journal articles, and textbook chapters.

Dr. Schlachta is an active member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and Chair of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons’ Committee on Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgery.

CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics) is Canada's national centre for developing and testing the next generation of minimally invasive surgical and interventional technologies and techniques, including robotics. CSTAR trains the surgeons of the future and shares expertise around the world.

Building on world and national firsts pioneered by surgeons in London, CSTAR was launched in December 2001.

CSTAR is as a collaborative research program of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson), and is affiliated with The University of Western Ontario.
Visit CSTAR today at www.c-star.ca

Individuals across Canada are contacting London Health Sciences Centre in hopes of pursuing a medical career at the proposed $100-million Shriners children's hospital, hospital president Tony Dagnone said yesterday. "We are getting many, many calls," said Dagnone, who is head of London's bid committee for the project.

"I think that really speaks well of the Shriners name and of the London community."

In the tug of war between London and Montreal, the top two contenders for the Shriners' Canadian hospital, staffing has been raised as a crucial issue.

Members of Montreal's bid committee have suggested top researchers would never want to locate in London and that there aren't enough qualified medical staff to take care of thousands of patients.

Dagnone labelled the Montreal comments as "fiction" and said he hopes they aren't used by Montreal Shriners who are launching a telephone campaign to stop London from getting the hospital.

"I don't mind people lobbying for their vote, but it should be based on facts, not fiction. I do worry about the amount of fiction that is going to be incorporated in those telephone calls."

One specific claim has been that London only has 1.5 orthopedic physicians to take care of the children, Dagnone said.

The truth is, he said, that London has two children's orthopedic surgeons and has recently hired another orthopedic surgeon who works on spine problems in children.

He said a job offer has been made to an additional pediatric orthopedic surgeon from Western Canada.

There are another dozen specialists in London who work with children in such areas as hand deformities and plastic surgery.

"We have some of the best you will find anywhere," he said. "That is what is so disappointing to us is that they (Montreal) are doing everything possible to push us into the ground."

Dagnone declined to disclose how the city plans to get its message out to the 1,440 delegates who will be making a final decision on where to build a new Canadian hospital at a convention in Baltimore in early July.

"We are not going to tip our hand, but we are spending some time thinking about this."

London has the unanimous backing of the hospital site selection committee and the international board of the 500,000-member fraternity, but the city needs two-thirds of the delegates to vote in favour of moving the hospital out of Montreal.

The hospital selection committee report that outlined the reasons for picking London has come under fierce attack in Montreal this week because it didn't detail the incentives offered to the Shriners, including $5 million in free land and a $5-million donation to the Shriners.

The report did explain that London is willing to sell the Shriners a site for $2 million, the appraised value of the land.

Dagnone said there is no chance London will increase its incentives to win the hospital.

"We will not sweeten the pot. Our proposal is what it is right now."





Copyright © The London Free Press

London Health Sciences Centre opens The Ivey Heart Centre.
London, Ontario, January 28, 2005 – London Health Sciences Centre opened the doors today to The Ivey Heart Centre, one of Canada’s largest cardiac care facilities, located at the hospital’s University Campus. The $31 million Heart Centre will serve more than 5,250 patients annually and will provide a seamless continuum of care for cardiac patients and those at high risk for cardiac events, encompassing education, ambulatory care, diagnostics, interventional cardiology, surgery and rehabilitation.

“The Ivey Heart Centre will be one of Canada’s premier centres for the treatment of heart disease – a centre that will drive change and make a difference in the lives of heart patients,” said Tony Dagnone, President and CEO of London Health Sciences Centre, at the grand opening celebration today.

Poised to take its place among the world’s leading heart institutes, The Ivey Heart Centre is a comprehensive, integrated regional facility located primarily on the fifth and sixth levels of London Health Sciences Centre’s University Campus. As part of London hospitals’ rebuilding initiative, it is a consolidation of existing advanced cardiac care services, which were previously spread across three hospital sites. Designed as a self-contained unit, The Ivey Heart Centre will house 94 inpatient beds, specialized areas for coronary care, arrhythmia monitoring, cardiac catheterization, pacemaker implementation and electrophysiology procedures.

The Ivey Heart Centre will have the best minds, in the best place, developing remarkable programs that will have tremendous impact at the bedside in our own clinics and those of other hospitals. “This state-of-the-art facility will be more than a London resource; it will also be an international resource,” added Mr. Dagnone.

The Ivey Heart Centre was supported by London’s well-known philanthropists and community leaders Richard M. Ivey and Beryl Ivey and The Richard Ivey Foundation through their gift of $6.5 million. “Thanks to the Iveys’ foresight and generosity, today we mark the realization of their gift and vision for the next era of cardiac care,” expressed Mr. Dagnone.

The Ivey Heart Centre will enable London Health Sciences Centre the opportunity to establish national and international leadership in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and advanced cardiac imaging utilizing leading-edge technology and expertise. Included in The Ivey Heart Centre is a clinical evaluation program, which entails a system capable of confidentially capturing information related to cardiac patients. This information will be available for analysis with the goals of advancing clinical research and developing best patient care practices.

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is one of Canada's largest acute-care teaching hospitals and is dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching and research. LHSC has pioneered many national and international medical breakthroughs. Located in London, Ontario, LHSC has three sites - University Campus, Victoria Campus, and the South Street Site, along with two family medical centres and the London Regional Cancer Program. LHSC is the home of the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario and CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics). The research arm of LHSC is Lawson Health Research Institute, which is also partnered with London's other teaching hospital, St. Joseph's Health Care, London. LHSC is affiliated with The University of Western Ontario. Physicians and staff at LHSC number close to 8,000 and together they provide care for more than 600,000 patients each year

What are those idiots in Montreal talking about? I think they are jealous sore losers.

Here are some facts regarding London, Ontario:

"Biotechnology/Life Sciences: London's growing strength as a national Centre of Excellence for biomedical technology has its roots in the diverse areas of research and expertise developed at such institutions as the London Health Sciences Centre, the John P. Robarts Research Institute - Canada's largest privately-funded medical research facility; the Lawson Health Research Institute, including the Child Health Research Institute and the London Regional Cancer Centre. Areas of expertise include biomedical, biotechnology, medical devices, clinic trials, medical imaging, xenotransplantation, advanced robotic surgery, and animal research. Identified as a key economic growth sector, the Life Sciences industry is one of London's largest and most enduring industries with over 20,000 people employed at London hospitals and research institutions, including over 1,000 researchers, and over $130 million spent annually on research.

London was chosen as one of three centres in Ontario for biotechnology commercialization. The London Biotechnology Commercialization Centre, made possible through a grant of $5 million by the Province of Ontario and matching funds from the City of London, will house and grow early stage biotech companies."

The London Health Sciences Centre alone has 7,400 employees.

http://www.ontario-canada.com/ontcan/en/expanding/ued/ued_london.jsp


Maybe London should cry about how Quebec - with Montreal - will separate one day and be cut off from the rest of civilization?

London does have large medical facilities but I think Toronto's are larger take into consideration University Ave. where you have 5 very large hospitals interconnected with underground tunnels through University Avenue and Queens Park. The largest and one of the best childrens hospitals in the world "The Hospital for Sick Children".
and also Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre a massive hospital facility just like London Health science centre.

:runaway:

/\ aaaaaaaaaaaand dispite all these, London is still better. Believe us when we tell you.

Cost big reason Shriners selected London



Cost and environmental issues were among the biggest reasons London was recommended over two rival cities for a new Canadian Shriners children's hospital, a just-released report says.

The report, detailing the issues, recommendations and reasons behind the Shriners Canadian hospital study committee's decision, indicates why London beat out Montreal, home of the existing Shriners hospital.

Ottawa, the other city bidding for the project, was given little attention in the report released yesterday.

Among the reasons London was chosen over Montreal:

- The London site is highly visible and terms of the London offer were "fair."

- The new hospital would be connected to the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario.

- Unlike the Montreal site, a former railroad yard, the London site needs no environmental cleanup.

- The cost of building the hospital in London, an estimated $3.3 million less than in Montreal, also influenced the recommendation of the Shriners site-selection committee.

Other factors such as provincial funding, transportation to the hospital and affiliation with major health care centres were also addressed, but both locations offered similar incentives.

Grant Fotheringham, potentate of the Mocha Temple in London, said yesterday he's optimistic the recommendation will be accepted at a key vote at a Shriners convention in Baltimore in July.

"This is two years in a row all six members of the committee have reported that London is the best choice," he said.





Copyright © The London Free Press

good for london, as much as montreal complains, london deserves it

It's been that way ever since the Shriners considered London as a site for the new hospital, Montreal has wanted it back, but hopefully to no avail this time, I think London could really use this more and further its reputation as a medical capital of Canada. Not only that, it would be icing on the cake for what has happened to the city recently with the OHL title and the Memorial Cup and making the city recognized in the greatest Memorial Cup tournament ever! :)

Confused.
Has the final decision been made now? Has London got it or not or are Mon/Ott still appealing or is the decision FINALLY final?

:runaway: Toronto Shriners back London's hospital bid



Toronto Shriners are throwing their support behind London's bid for the Shriners hospital, Tony Dagnone, president of London Health Sciences Centre, confirmed yesterday.

"There is a very strong relationship between the Toronto Shriners and the Mocha Temple," Dagnone said.

"They're offering strong support for London's bid."

The Toronto and London chapters represent a large portion of Canadian Shriners and their combined support for the bid will be influential, Dagnone added.

"Other Shriners will look to this alliance and I believe they will take direction from the leaders in London and Toronto," he said.

The Shiners hospital study committee recommended London as its top pick over other contenders, Montreal and Ottawa.

Despite the recommendation, London will continue to campaign for the support of other Canadian Shriners, Dagnone said.

"We really don't want to share our game plan because (Montreal) is very determined to overthrow the recommendation of the board of directors and we're very determined to gain support for their decision" he said.

"But this alliance will be very influential and it's just the beginning for London to start gaining momentum."

Canadian temples account for 12 of the 191 local chapters of the organization that will vote on the future site of the hospital.

London will need the support of two-thirds of the 1,447 delegates from temples across North America when they vote at the Shiners' convention in Baltimore July 5.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Great! London is slowly gaining momentum for this...

:bash: The group trying to keep the Shriners hospital in Montreal takes an error-filled shot at London.



Just a month before decision day, the Montreal committee battling to stop the Shriners from building a $100-million hospital in London has circulated major inaccuracies about medical research in London, the city's fundraising status and its transportation links.

"I think they are shooting themselves," Grant Fotheringham, head of London's 3,800-member Mocha Temple, said yesterday of the errors contained in a report.

The report was prepared in an effort to sway the 1,400 Shriners who will vote in Baltimore in July on whether a new Shriners children's hospital will be built in London or in Montreal, where the Shriners hospital is now.

Among the report's claims: - That the University of Western Ontario is in the midst of a $150-million fundraising campaign that would end in 2006, meaning there would be competition for raising money for a hospital in London.

In fact, a UWO spokesperson said yesterday, Western is not in the midst of a $150-million campaign. The university raises about $40 million a year from the public. A fundraising campaign completed last year drew $327 million in private donations, exceeding the $270-million goal.

- The Montreal report says Montreal is a research powerhouse with McGill and its teaching hospitals and the University of Montreal receiving grants from government agencies of $135 million, "as opposed to $29 million for the University of Western Ontario in London."

In fact, UWO said yesterday it received $40 million in grant funding from the federal government for 2003-2004. In total, Western's Schulich School of Medicine and School of Dentistry received more than $119 million in research support, including $35 million through the Robarts Research Institute, $30 million through London's hospitals and their research arm, the Lawson Health Research Institute, and more than $50 million through Western.

- The Montreal report says Montreal "is more accessible than London by plane, train, air and road."

In fact, there is more frequent air service to Montreal and some patients may have to connect in Toronto to fly to London, said John Winston of Tourism London. But there are more scheduled trains between London and Toronto than between Toronto and Montreal. London is also on the same major highway corridor as Montreal.

- The Montreal report says London is charging $2 million for the land on which the hospital would sit.

In fact, the $2 million would go into an account to recruit staff for the new hospital.

The Montreal campaign "isn't a problem as long as we keep the rest of the delegates informed as to what is true," Fotheringham said.

Attacking the Shriners report that recommended London and not Montreal for the hospital, members of the Keep the Shriners Hospital in Montreal committee maintain that if the Shriners board had received "a full and objective presentation on the competing proposals," the board would have chosen Montreal, not London, for the hospital.

Members of the committee couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Top Shrine leaders from across Canada check out London's hospital bid in person.

London Shriners made one last push yesterday to convince delegates from across Canada that London should be their top choice for the new Shriners hospital.

Representatives from 11 Canadian cities -- including Montreal, London's top competition for the hospital --arrived Monday night in London, said Grant Fotheringham, potentate of London's Mocha Shrine.

After meeting Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco at city hall yesterday, delegates toured the London Health Sciences Centre's robotic surgery centre and Children's Hospital of Western Ontario.

Fotheringham said the visit aimed to show delegates what London has to offer and answer any questions.

"We really want them to go back and tell their members that London has a lot to offer and it's not just a fly-by-night bid," he said.

Tony Dagnone, president of LHSC, said that all 24 invited representatives showing up to see the city was encouraging.

"History was made today because 24 of the top Shriners leadership were here with one purpose," he said.

"We found that the (representatives) had really done their homework. They know what quality care is all about."

Dave Dyson, potentate of the Al Azhar Shrine in Calgary, said the presentation was "first class."

"When I arrived at city hall, I was overwhelmed," he said.

"I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eyes seeing that someone would show this kind of appreciation of our work and our vision."

Dyson, who wouldn't reveal which city would get his vote, said concerns about transportation to and from the city persisted among the representatives.

"It took our representatives from Newfoundland over 10 hours to get here," he said.

"I think to put that kind of stress on a patient would be pretty dramatic. I think it will weigh on my decision."

The London bid committee is still working to win hundreds of delegates from the United States, Mexico, Panama and Canada who did not visit the city.

A brochure, printed in English, French and Spanish, was sent last week to the 1,400 delegates eligible to vote at next month's Shriners convention in Baltimore.

The brochure which highlights London's location, community support and healthcare facilities, is accompanied by a letter from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty endorsing London's bid.

"We're taking the initiative to go directly to all 1,400 delegates," Dagnone said.

"We wanted them to have the whole story."

Delegates will vote on a recommendation by a Shriners hospital committee to build a $100-million hospital in London to replace an existing facility in Montreal.

Two-thirds of the 1,447 delegates attending the convention will need to support London's bid before the city is awarded the hospital.

The voting will take place July 5.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Ontario big guns to lobby Shriners


Two senior Ontario cabinet ministers -- and possibly the premier -- will join the fray in Baltimore in the final showdown between London and Montreal over the new Shriners children's hospital.

Health Minister George Smitherman and Labour Minister Chris Bentley yesterday said they will attend the Shriners international convention at which 1,400 delegates are to vote on where in Canada to build the $100-million hospital.

"I am looking forward to joining the team from London in Baltimore to help demonstrate the full support of the government of Ontario for this hospital taking shape in London," Smitherman told The Free Press. "This is a community that is so ready for it."

The health minister also met last week with Canadian Shriners who will attend the convention that starts July 3 and runs to July 7.

The crucial vote on the Canadian hospital location is set for July 5.

"We think we have a very persuasive case to be made and we are going to try to do it on a person-by-person basis," Smitherman said.

Bentley said it's still not known whether Premier Dalton McGuinty will make the trip.

"The premier would very much like to be there and we are hoping he will be able to be there," Bentley said.

"He has already been working hard, speaking to a number of the Shriner leadership. His office is fully engaged in this bid and has been working very hard on this for months."

Under the Shriners' bylaws, London has to win two-thirds of the votes for the hospital to be built here.

A delegation of 30 Quebecers, including provincial Health Minister Philippe Couillard and Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay, is heading to Baltimore next month to persuade Shriners to keep the hospital in Montreal.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest toured the Shriners' 80-year-old hospital in Montreal yesterday to show his support for keeping the facility in the city.

London's bid has the unanimous backing of the Shriners hospital site selection committee and the Shriners board, but has run into opposition from Shriners in Atlantic and Western Canada and the northeastern U.S.

Opponents have cited concerns about higher transportation costs to send children to London for treatment.

Montreal's medical community also has claimed a move to London would disrupt the hospital's research for at least 10 years.

London has countered by pointing out the site it is offering, next to the new Victoria Hospital, is clean land, while Montreal's site is a contaminated former rail yard.

The possibility of Quebec's separation from Canada also has been raised by London's bid committee in an effort to win support.

Charest dismissed concerns that Quebec sovereignty is an issue in the hospital's potential move.

"Quebec will continue to change, but children will continue to receive great care" at the Shriners facility in Montreal, Charest said.

"This is about caring for children," he said. "It's not about the politics of Quebec or of Canada."

"(The sovereignty issue) is more of a worry in London than anywhere else," said Arthur Porter, executive director of the McGill University Health Centre.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Dalton McGuinty will be in Baltimore to back the London push to win the Shriners' facility.


Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty will fly to Baltimore to bolster London's bid for the $100-million Shriners children's hospital.

McGuinty's office confirmed yesterday the premier -- whose home city of Ottawa was bidding for the project -- will join London's bid team at the Shriners international convention that opens July 2.

The addition of McGuinty comes as London Health Sciences Centre president Tony Dagnone, head of London's bid committee, predicts a close finish between London and Montreal in the battle for the coveted hospital.

"It is a horse race right now. It is going to be a photo finish," he said yesterday.

Though London, Montreal and Ottawa have been vying for the project, the fight is mainly between London -- twice recommended by a Shriners' committee -- and Montreal -- home to the Shriners' existing Canadian hospital.

Ottawa Liberal MP David McGuinty, the premier's brother, said he's not put off by his brother plugging London rather than Ottawa.

"My first reaction is if London is, in fact, chosen, good for them," the Ottawa South MP said last night. "Some folks in town will be disappointed, but overall it's good for Ontario."

In the past, the premier has promoted Ontario as the best home for the Shriners' Canadian hospital, but was neutral in the Ottawa-London contest.

Ottawa is McGuinty's home turf, the city he represents in the Ontario legislature.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for the premier said he'll back London in Baltimore because that's the recommendation of the Shriners board.

Representatives of Ottawa's bid committee could not be reached yesterday.

Dagnone said McGuinty's backing in Baltimore, along with three of his ministers, will be a "big, big boost."

"That will speak volumes as far as the Shriners are concerned," he said. "They are a group of people who always want to know where the government officials are on these matters."

Joining McGuinty will be Health Minister George Smitherman and two area ministers -- Labour Minister Chris Bentley and Agriculture Minister Steve Peters.

The city's main competition for the hospital remains Montreal, home to the Shriners hospital for the last 80 years.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest's office said Charest is available to go to Baltimore if the Montreal Shriners ask for his support.

"(No one) has asked that he be present at this time," Marie-Claude Champoux, a Charest aide, said yesterday in Quebec City.

A high-profile Quebec delegation is expected at the convention, including the health minister and Montreal's mayor.

The Shriners started considering new sites for a hospital five years ago because the organization had outgrown its aged Montreal hospital.

Montreal was considered the early front-runner but delays in approvals by the Quebec government prompted the fraternal order to consider other sites.

A year ago the Shriners hospital site selection committee and the Shriners board unanimously backed building the new hospital in London.

But after intense lobbying from a Montreal committee, delegates at a Denver convention ordered a new site selection committee to consider Montreal, Ottawa and London.

In April, that committee unanimously recommended London again and the Shriners board endorsed it.

The recommendation goes to a vote at the Baltimore convention. To be approved, it needs the support of two-thirds of the 1,400 delegates.

Shriners in Atlantic and Western Canada have backed keeping the hospital in Montreal, while the Toronto chapter, Canada's largest, is behind the move to London.

Dagnone said he recently returned from a trip to New York state, where he spoke to representatives of seven Shriner temples that had been opposing London. He said those Shriners are reconsidering their position.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Hospital bidders entice Shriners


JOHN MINER, Free Press Health Reporter 2005-06-24 02:06:34







The wallets came open yesterday in the fight to land the Shriners hospital as Ontario put a $1.5-million tunnel on the table and Quebec offered an expense-paid trip for 1,400 people to Montreal that could cost more than $1 million.

The last-minute inducements were made public just 10 days before a crucial convention in Baltimore, where the international fraternity is set to vote on who will get a $100-million children's hospital.

The Montreal committee dedicated to keeping the hospital in that city has sent invitations to all 1,400 voting delegates from across North America to visit Montreal for a day before going to Baltimore.

Rory MacLennan, potentate of the Montreal chapter of the Shriners, said the tab for the visit is being picked up by the Friends of the Montreal Shriners Hospital committee.

If all the delegates take up the offer, it has been estimated costs could reach $1.4 million.

"I never, never underestimate what Montreal will do," said Tony Dagnone, head of London's bid committee and president and CEO of London Health Sciences Centre. "We will just have to stand behind our game plan."

Meanwhile, the Ontario government has offered to dig deep to bring the hospital to London, promising the Shriners it will provide $1.5 million to cover the cost of building a tunnel to connect the Shriners hospital to the children's hospital facilities at LHSC.

Dagnone praised Premier Dalton McGuinty for the commitment, saying it's another major boost for London's campaign.

"That clearly shows the commitment on the part of the premier and the province of Ontario," he said. "They are doing everything to ensure there is a safe, efficient connection between the $100-million building and the rest of our complex."

In a letter to Gene Bracewell, head of the Shriners hospital site selection committee, and released to The Free Press yesterday, McGuinty said the commitment was being made to demonstrate Ontario's "unwavering support for this exciting project."

McGuinty said the province would provide LHSC with full funding for the tunnel.

Dagnone said a tunnel is an important feature, allowing for patients, equipment, supplies and staff to easily travel back and forth. In their recommendation the hospital be built in London, the Shriners site selection committee cited the lack of such a connection as one of the reasons for not building in Ottawa.

MacLennan said the Montreal committee has been pleased with the support it has received from Shriner delegates, but can't relax.

"I don't think anybody is counting their chickens just yet. There is no question it is likely going to be a close vote," he said.

Dagnone said Montreal is borrowing a page from London's bid committee, which brought the 24 Shriner leaders from across Canada to tour the city this month.

OTHER INCENTIVES OFFERED THE SHRINERS

London

- Offered to sell the land for hospital for $2 million and use the money to recruit medical staff for the hospital.

- London businesses have offered $1.5 million to build a parent housing facility.

- $1.2-million contribution from the city to cover development charges, building permit and other plan approval fees.

Montreal

- $5 million worth of free land for a new hospital site.

- $5-million donation toward construction costs.

- $4-million increase in operating funds for the hospital from the Quebec government.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Ottawa's bid committee has given up any hope of landing the $100-million Shriners children's hospital, making it a two-way fight between London and Montreal for the prized facility.

"We have been told we are out of it," Bill Cook, recorder for the Ottawa chapter of the international fraternity, said yesterday.

Cook said there are no plans to send a delegation from the Ottawa bid committee to the Shriners convention in Baltimore, where members are scheduled to vote next Tuesday on where to build their new Canadian hospital.

Ottawa was on the short list for the new hospital, along with London and Montreal. Toronto and Hamilton were also considered before the Shriners narrowed their choices.

The fatal blow for the Ottawa bid was dealt by the Shriners hospital site selection committee when it released its study report this spring.

While acknowledging the enthusiasm of the Ottawa business community for the project, the committee ranked Ottawa as the least desirable of the three choices.

Specifically, the committee said the leaders of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa made it clear they did not want or need a Shriners hospital in the area.

Luce Lavoie, director of public relations for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, said the hospital was accepting the Shriners committee report that recommended London and wouldn't attempt to have it overturned.

"That was the final chapter for us," she said.

A year ago, the Ottawa bid committee publicly supported keeping the Shriners hospital in Montreal as the best choice. But if the Shriners decided to move out of Quebec, Ottawa would be the logical alternative, not London, the Ottawa committee argued.

Tony Dagnone, head of London's bid committee, blamed Ottawa for the defeat of a resolution a year ago that called for the Shriners to negotiate with Ontario to build the new hospital in London.

In a letter to all the delegates to the convention in Denver, the Ottawa committee asked delegates to "support our stand and that of many of your fellow Canadian and U.S. representatives in voting no to that resolution if or when it is tabled for passage."

The delegates agreed and passed a resolution calling on the hospital site selection committee to continue considering Ottawa, Montreal and London.

In April, the committee again unanimously recommended London, a position that was endorsed by the Shriners board of directors.

For the hospital to be built in London, two-thirds of the 1,400 delegates at the Baltimore convention must vote in favour of the recommendation.

Cook, of the Ottawa Shriners, says it is impossible to predict the outcome.

"It is like an election," he explained. "You don't know how it will go until they mark the paper."





Copyright © The London Free Press

:bash: Dalton McGuinty and Jean Charest will vie for support at the Shriners' convention.




The battle shaping up in Baltimore between London and Montreal for the Shriners new children's hospital will include two Canadian premiers.

The Montreal group pushing to keep the hospital in that city released the names of its 22-member delegation to the Shriners international convention yesterday and the list now includes Quebec Premier Jean Charest.

Other high-profile Quebecers heading for Baltimore include Health Minister Philippe Couillard, Revenue Minister Lawrence Bergman, Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and representatives from the Montreal Board of Trade, McGill University, the McGill University Health Centre, the Shriners Hospital of Canada and Karnak Shrine Centre in Montreal.

Last week, Charest's office said the premier would be available to go to Baltimore, but hadn't been invited.

Yesterday, Couillard said Charest had to go after Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced he was joining London's team.

He attacked McGuinty for "politicizing" the selection process.

"I find it regrettable, personally, that Mr. McGuinty wants to make this a battle between two premiers and two provinces.

"It didn't need to be at that level. But it's his decision and we're going to adapt to it," Couillard said.

A spokesperson for McGuinty's office said the premier will not respond.

Instead, McGuinty will focus on landing the hospital for London, she said.

Couillard was part of the Quebec delegation a year ago, which also included former Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson, who flew to the Shriners convention in Denver to lobby against London.

Other members of London's delegation include Labour Minister Chris Bentley, Health Minister George Smitherman, Agriculture Minister Steve Peters, London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco, London Health Sciences Centre board chairperson Jeff Low, LHSC president Tony Dagnone and Dr. Cec Rorabeck, chief of orthopedics.

The Shriners are slated to vote Tuesday on a recommendation to their board that the $100-million hospital be built in London. Two-thirds of the 1,400 delegates must vote in favour for the recommendation to be approved.

The gloves have come off in the run-up to the vote, with Montreal's committee saying building the hospital in London would only hurt children.

London has raised the possibility of Quebec separating and suggested the contaminated land offered by Montreal is unsuitable for a children's hospital.

Montreal's bid committee yesterday announced it will have a booth at the Shriners convention and will hold information sessions on Sunday and Monday.

Delegates also will be invited by Montreal to a July 4 reception to watch the fireworks.

London will also have a booth at the convention.

Montreal and Quebec will only be further humiliated when they lose out on the new hospital. Serves them right!

'We're getting that hospital'

Buzz over London's bid for the $100M kids' facility mounts as the Shrine circus hits Woodstock and Quebec's premier ratchets up the rhetoric ahead of next week's deciding vote.


WOODSTOCK -- Amid the squeal of children's laughter, and the occasional trumpet of an elephant, stood two grown men in silly costumes with a very real mission.

"We're getting that hospital," said Larry Toohey, a member of the Woodstock Shrine Club's clown unit.

One of the best-known Shriners fundraisers, the Shrine circus came to town yesterday, bringing with it excitement that area Shriners may soon have a very visible reminder -- a new Canadian children's hospital in London -- of what their fraternal order works for.

"You've heard of Christmas in July? Well next week, when we get that hospital (for London), that's what we'll be celebrating," said Woodstock Shriner Jerry Ward.

A battle between Montreal and London over the new $100-million hospital goes to a vote next Tuesday at a Shriners convention in Baltimore, with Montreal trying to hang onto the Shriners hospital it's had for years and London trying to snag it.

Yesterday, the fight between Ontario and Quebec over the hospital heated up, with Quebec Premier Jean Charest saying he's never seen anything like Ontario's efforts to "worm" the hospital away from Montreal.

"I've frankly never seen a province act like this: to try and worm a hospital out of another province," he said, calling Ontario's moves "uncommon and deceiving."

Charest's ire was raised by slick video released by civic leaders in Ontario and produced like a political attack ad. It apparently includes assertions Montreal's proposed hospital site, a former rail yard, is dangerous.

Winning the needed two-thirds majority of Shriner delegates won't just land a new hospital but also, London's Mocha Shriners hope, renew interest in their group.

"We're a fading breed and right now our membership is suffering," Ward said. "It really won't be a hard sell anymore when we win."

Mocha Shrine treasurer David Farhner said the hospital would publicly demonstrate the organization's commitment to children.

"People see us with funny hats and cars in parade and with the circus, but they don't really know what we do," he said.





Copyright © The London Free Press

:bash: Convention delegates vote Tuesday, London plan needs two-thirds


An architect’s conception of what the proposed Shriners Hospital in London would look like. It would be located at the corner of Baseline and Wellington Rd.


It’s down to the wire and lobbying efforts are increasing as Montreal vies with London for the future home of the Shriners’ Canadian Children’s Hospital.

A decision, probably the final one, will be made next Tuesday at the Shriners convention in Baltimore.

To win, London will need support of two-thirds of the 1,449 delegates – or 966 votes.

Mike Andrews, corporate director of public relations for North America Shriners, says of the lobbying: “There isn’t much they can’t do. Most of the campaigning is going on via email and phones, trying to convince the delegates.”

Tony Dagnone, CEO of London Health Sciences Centre who is spearheading London’s campaign, describes the local lobbying effort this way: “We have taken a number of initiatives. Three weeks ago we sent out a foldout in French, English and Spanish to all delegates with the official London sesquicentennial stamp; then a 10-page brochure outlining the London proposal.

“Then a ‘Why London’ pamphlet was also sent. Then another publication was sent out by Tampa, ‘Facts and Myths’ to dispel some of the statements that have been made by what Montreal and London had been offering. A 12-minute video was also made available. It speaks to the rationale as to why London was chosen.”

There has also been a huge effort by London to alleviate concerns around transportation cost.

“Delegates are realizing we have a number of programs to offset those travel costs,” Mr. Dagnone says. “Air Canada has a special program that we can tap into. Our children’s hospital also receives $11.2 million (in transportation from Air Canada), some of which they can allocate to the Shriners. The business community will donate resources and the municipalities in the region also want to help, so this is beginning to sink.

“The other valuable initiative, with the city’s help, was to invite the top 24 Canadian Shriners leaders to London on June 14 with 100 per cent turnout. Our game plan has been to inform the voting delegates with the right information so they can make the right decision. I think it’s fair to say that we in London have delivered on everything we promised. I think this has gone a long way to gain confidence.”

If the Shriners vote to move their hospital to London it will be built on the corner of Baseline and Wellington Rd., just west of the new Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario, with which it will have strong ties. Construction cost is expected to be in excess of $65 million.

If the London proposal – which has twice been recommended by the Shriners’ own selection committee – doesn’t get the two-thirds it needs, what happens next isn’t clear, except that the Shriners Hospital will stay in Montreal.

“The only proposal is to move it to London,” Mr. Andrews says. “If that fails it will be up to the representatives to decide where to go from here and all plans are on the table. Two committees over five years both came up with the same conclusion.”

If the vote passes, the next step is to “begin the process of relocating. We’ve relocated hospitals before, from San Francisco to Sacramento in California, for example. Hopefully they would move ahead as quickly as possible,” Mr. Andrew says.

London is ready, Mr. Dagnone says.

“Given the decision, one of the first things we would want to do is to sit with Tampa (Shriners’ headquarters) to look at their plans. We want this to be a flagship hospital for North America. It would be nine months designing and two years construction. We will take our marching orders from International Shriners headquarters as to how quickly they want to get into it.

“Shortly after the decision we will have a delegation from London go to Montreal to embrace the concept of them having a visit to London and invite them to be a part of this new future. If we get turned down, we have already had a number of people call about opportunities,” Mr. Dagnone says, illustrative of the good will Londoners have expressed in their attempt to win the bid.

“When I look at the momentum we have created in the past five years where we have seen things turn around in the city, the sense of pride people have and the number of eyes that are on our community is unbelievable. When you have a few successful stories that touch a lot of people, you find a way to be a part of it.”

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty spurns Quebec attacks on London's bid.



Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday shrugged off attacks by Quebec's premier and health minister that he is using dirty tactics to win the Shriners hospital for London.

McGuinty told The Free Press he was aware of "some rumblings from mon ami Jean Charest."

"I have a lot of respect for Jean and I understand how eager they are to retain the Shriners hospital, but the site selection committee chose London and we are there to support that selection," McGuinty said during a stop in London yesterday.

Charest on Wednesday said he was appalled at Ontario's efforts to win the hospital, calling them "uncommon and deceiving."

"I've frankly never seen a province act like this: to try and worm a hospital out of another province. I've never seen an affair like this," Charest said.

Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard deplored the tone of Ontario's campaign and said McGuinty had been extremely negative.

McGuinty yesterday dismissed the claim he has been negative.

"My advice for everybody involved in this is take the high road, talk about the advantages we offer," he said.

Charest and other Quebec leaders are livid about a video sent to delegates by the London and Toronto chapters of the Shriners.

The slick presentation includes a section warning Shriners that the proposed Montreal site for their hospital is contaminated and could result in negative publicity and lawsuits that might threaten the Shriners North American organization.

Dave Fahrner, a Shriner delegate from London, rejected Montreal's suggestions that London was scare- mongering.

"It is not scaremongering, it is fact, it is reality. It has already been deemed contaminated by the Quebec government," Fahrner said.

Fahrner said Shriners have to consider what would happen if they build on the Montreal site after attempts have been made to clean it and toxins seeped back into the soil.

"Somebody gets sick, they show cause, they sue them and there is the end of the Shriners because nobody will ever send anybody there again. They are done," he said.

Charest is leading a high-profile Quebec delegation to the Shriners convention in Baltimore, where 1,400 delegates will vote Tuesday on where to locate a $100-million children's hospital in Canada.

The delegates will choose between Montreal, which has an existing hospital in an aging building, and London, which is offering a site next to the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario.

McGuinty is to fly to Baltimore tomorrow, taking a contingent that will include three cabinet ministers and all of the London MPPs.

McGuinty said he didn't know if he will meet with Charest in Baltimore.

The Ontario premier will carry a letter to the Shriners meeting in Baltimore signed by himself, Conservative Leader John Tory and NDP Leader Howard Hampton stating their unanimous support for London.

"London is already recognized for having a top research university and the London Health Sciences Centre is one of Canada's largest acute-care teaching hospitals, dedicated in patient care, teaching and research.

"A Shriners hospital would be welcomed in London, welcomed by our government, welcomed by the professionals, doctors and nurses who would work there, and most of all welcomed by the patients and by children in need," the letter says.





Copyright © The London Free Press

Montreal was the one that started with the negativity. Now that they are getting their noses rubbed in it they cry.

A second Battle of Baltimore is shaping up as delegates from London and Montreal jockey for the new $100-million Canadian Shriners children's hospital at the international fraternity's huge convention in the historic Maryland port city.




It's been nearly 200 years since the last Battle of Baltimore, when the British failed to take the American port after a 23-hour bombardment.

The Yankees came away from the War of 1812 conflict with their national anthem and the Star Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key as he watched the British rocket and cannon attack.

But a new Battle of Baltimore -- between London and Montreal -- is shaping up, and the fireworks will climax next week when the two rivals begin bombarding thousands of Shriners occupying Baltimore for a huge convention.

The prize this time is not the port city, but a new Canadian Shriners children's hospital to replace an aging one in Montreal, there since 1925.

At stake is far more than civic bragging rights: To the winner goes the $100-million hospital, millions of dollars in medical research and a powerful magnet to attract and hang on to children's specialists.

Winning would cement London's reputation as a major medical centre, said Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco.

"I think it sends a very powerful message that we are a health care and research centre of excellence, not only in this region but beyond," said DeCicco, who will be in Baltimore for Tuesday's vote on the hospital location.

"(The hospital) could really help in research dollars and attracting the best and the brightest. As we build with younger doctors and younger professionals, this is going to be a place they want to practise."

Shriners officials have more than once recommended the hospital be moved to London from Montreal, most recently in April, and their final recommendation is what will go to a vote by Baltimore delegates.

But Montreal has doggedly resisted any move to London, even firing off a few cheap shots about how big-city Montreal, with its cosmopolitan cachet, is far more attractive than London to doctors.

Ottawa was also trying to snag the hospital but was effectively shut out in a lacklustre review of its bid before the final recommendation.

Montreal is counting on tradition, its international profile and an aggressive provincial government -- it has accused Ontario of trying to "worm" away the hospital to London -- to defend its hospital bid.

But London also has formidable ammunition, including virgin land for a hospital that shines by comparison to Montreal's proposed site, a former rail yard that has fuelled claims the site is dangerous.

London also has a scrappy bid team led by London Health Sciences Centre boss Tony Dagnone, backed by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty who is Baltimore-bound to flex political muscle for London.

Jeff Low, chair of the board of LHSC, said the Shriners hospital would be an economic boost for the city and enhance London's international reputation for research.

"It will put a lot of focus on research into children's ailments and illnesses that is already done in London by the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario and the university. This will add to that and complete a lot of that puzzle," Low said.

The decision by the 500,000-member international fraternity Tuesday will end an intense, five-year competition that has reached such levels that both McGuinty and Quebec Premier Jean Charest will be working the convention corridors in a last-ditch effort to swing the vote.

In the runup to the convention, called the Imperial Council Session by the Shriners, members of the competing bid committees at times declared victory within their grasp.

But in the final days of what has come to resemble a political campaign, no one is willing to bet big on the outcome.

By raw numbers, London is starting at a disadvantage.

Under the Shriners bylaws, a two-thirds majority vote is required to close a hospital and move it to another city.

Montreal has been home to the Shriners Canadian hospital for decades, but has run out of space -- prompting the Shriners to look for a new site.

That means if all 1,447 delegates vote in Baltimore, London needs 965 votes to win.

Montreal will need only 483 votes to block London's bid.

But London has the unanimous backing of the Shriners board of directors, which sent a package to each delegate a month ago explaining why London was recommended over Montreal.

Reasons included the high visibility of the proposed London site and the ability to raise money in the area.

The recommendation follows two reviews by site selection committees that also unanimously backed London.

Both cities have offered the Shriners millions in incentives.

In Montreal, that includes free land valued at $5 million and a $5-million donation.

In London, the Shriners would have to pay $2 million for the land, but the money would be put into an account to attract medical personnel for their hospital.

City businesses have also committed to building a $1.5-million parent housing residence for the Shriners hospital and the province has promised to pay the $1.5-million cost of a tunnel to connect the hospital with LHSC facilities.

While proclaiming to take the high road, backers of the rival bids have also taken the chance to knock each other.

Montreal has heaped scorn on London, suggesting it lacks the metropolitan atmosphere to attract research scientists and top doctors.

London's bid committee has hit back by referring to the separatist threat in Quebec, as its ruling Liberals sink in the polls, and the contamination of the Montreal hospital site.

Then, after including two former Quebec premiers and the mayor of Montreal in their campaign, Montreal's committee accused Ontario of "politicizing" the campaign.

And the final battle is yet to come.

LONDON'S BID

- Has offered to sell Shriners the land for a hospital, next to Children's Hospital of Western Ontario, for appraised value of $2 million. That would go into an account to recruit medical staff.

- Business has pledged to raise $1.5 million to build a housing facility for parents of child patients at the hospital.

- City council has agreed to cover $1.2 million in development charges, building permit and other fees. Shriners won't be subject to property taxes.

- Province will pay the $1.5 million cost to build a tunnel to connect the new hospital to existing children's hospital.

- The province has also agreed to let the Shriners govern the new hospital by their bylaws and rules.

MONTREAL'S BID

- Has offered a site valued at $5 million at an abandoned rail yard. Land to be decontaminated, the work paid for by the provincial government.

- Pledged a $5-million donation from McGill University Health Centre Foundation toward hospital construction.

- Government charges and fees for hospital relocation to be assumed by McGill University Health Centre.

- Hospital would maintain its tax-exempt status.

- On-site housing for families of patients.

ABOUT THE SHRINERS

What: An international fraternity of about 500,000 members from the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Panama.

Origin: Formed in 1872 by Americans Walter Millard Fleming, a prominent surgeon, and actor William Florence. The fraternity was for Masons, but stressed fun and fellowship more than ritual.

Philanthropy: The fraternity in 1920 decided to open a hospital for crippled children and today counts a network of 22 children's hospitals --20 in the U.S., one in Canada and one in Mexico.





Copyright © The London Free Press

these articles are so biased its unbelievable...

Montreal bad evil bad bad, London good innoncent good good.

so lame :)

these articles are so biased its unbelievable...

Montreal bad evil bad bad, London good innoncent good good.

so lame :)


:cry:

:bleh:

:blahblah:

BALTIMORE -- Quebec Premier Jean Charest challenged Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to condemn a video released by London and Toronto Shriners as part of their campaign to have a children's hospital built in London.

"It is misleading. It lies. It's extremely slick," Charest said during a visit to the Shriners convention.

"Dalton McGuinty has to speak to that video and dissociate himself from it," Charest said.

The video calls into question the integrity of the Quebec government, he said.

McGuinty, who was campaigning only metres away from Charest, refused.

"We had nothing to do with that video and I am not going to speak to anything we didn't participate in," said McGuinty.

The Ontario premier rejected the suggestion he had challenged Quebec's integrity.

"To set the record straight, I have never once, not once have I commented on the (Montreal) site.

"I am just talking here about London and its strengths and I will continue to do that," he said.

The Shriners are expected to choose the site for a new hospital tomorrow.

The video, released to delegates by the London and Toronto Shriners and posted on a website www.londonshrinershospital.ca, argues it would be irresponsible of the Shriners to build on a contaminated site in Montreal.

If the cleanup of the site fails and patients become sick ,the Shriners could face lawsuits that would destroy their fraternity and its hospital system, the video says.

The London-based Mocha Shriners have defended the video as reality and the contamination claims have hit a nerve at the Baltimore convention.

Gene Bracewell, treasurer of the Shriners and head of the hospital site selection committee, yesterday said he will never consider building on the Montreal site.

He said if the recommendation to build in London is turned down, the only alternative would be to stay with the current, aging Montreal Shriners hospital.

Bracewell acknowledged the Quebec government plans to clean up the former rail yard, but said environmental standards could later change, jeopardizing the new hospital.

That happened when the Shriners had to close a U.S. hospital because it contained asbestos, Bracewell said.

But Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard said other hospitals in North America, including Princess Margaret in Ontario, are built on decontaminated land.

"To even question the safety of children in a properly decontaminated industrial site is ludicrous," he said.

Charest said the video produced by London was the kind of production put together by professionals who run election campaigns.

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said countering the video is difficult for the Quebec team.

"When you are negative, it is easy; you say things that are negative. When it is said we have contaminated land, we have to work very hard to explain to people that we have a certificate and it is going to be as safe as virgin land."





Copyright © The London Free Press

Didn't Montreal start all the negativity by claiming that London was not a first-rate city that could attract and retain top medical talent? Now that Montreal is getting their nose rubbed in it ... all they do is moan and groan.

I just heard on the radio it went to Montreal.

Who is worse? Us "idiots" from Montreal or you numbskulls from Ontario who jumped the gun by not checking the facts before announcing that you actually got the hospital? The original announcement was solely a RECOMMENDATION by the shriners governing body. Duh.

Now Montreal has it and guess what, you people deserve to get your noses rubbed in it. You should all feel ashamed of yourselves.

Who is worse? Us "idiots" from Montreal or you numbskulls from Ontario who jumped the gun by not checking the facts before announcing that you actually got the hospital? The original announcement was solely a RECOMMENDATION by the shriners governing body. Duh.

Now when did London ever announce that they had won the new hospital? In one of your nightmares last night perhaps?

By the way, I don't live in London or Ontario. I'm just a disinterested objective observer and Montreal started the bad behavior.


Now Montreal has it and guess what, you people deserve to get your noses rubbed in it. You should all feel ashamed of yourselves.

Others have stated that the Shriners don't have the funds to build a new hospital anyway. So before you rub anyone's nose in your new hospital, you might want to wait and make sure it gets built first. Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

Now when did London ever announce that they had won the new hospital? In one of your nightmares last night perhaps?


Not London. Check the title of this thread.

Not London. Check the title of this thread.

There you go again.... taking things out of context.

Clearly, the originator of the thread meant they (London) got the recommendation from the board for the new hospital.

In his first post, he made it clear that a 2/3rds vote by the delegates was still required before London got the hospital.

Spin... and more spin ... shame on you... you win and still you're bitter ...

Shriners vote to expand hospital in Montreal
CTV.ca News Staff

North American Shriners who have gathered for a convention in Baltimore have voted to expand their children's hospital in Montreal, rather than move the facility to London, Ontario.

More than 1,000 delegates voted at the Baltimore Convention Center Tuesday, on a resolution to either rebuild the aging hospital in Quebec, or build a new one in London.

When the ballots were counted, Montreal came out ahead with more than the necessary one-third of votes, giving that city a green-light for the $100-million project.

Reporting from Baltimore, CTV's Rob Lurie says Montreal delegates were elated with the outcome.

"We have just wrapped up the voting," Lurie told CTV Newsnet Tuesday afternoon. "And as soon as it happened, Montreal delegates ran out screaming in euphoria... there were a lot of tears and a lot of emotion here."

The Shriners' only Canadian pediatric/orthopedic hospital has been operating in Montreal since 1925.

In a campaign that stretched on for five years, intense lobbying for the new facility pitted the two cities and provinces against each other in an escalating, emotional public relations battle.

A video produced and paid for by city and health officials in London claimed its rival city's site cannot be entirely decontaminated.

Describing it as "sleazy," Quebec Premier Jean Charest said in Baltimore Sunday: "The video is a lie that questions the integrity of the government of Quebec."

For his part, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the video had nothing to do with his government, but nevertheless backed the western Ontario city.

"The London bid stands out as the one that has the most secure future for the provision of these services," McGuinty told reporters during his trip to Baltimore Sunday.

Backers of the Montreal bid subsequently struck back -- with the release of their own video.

"Montreal is a passionate city full of compassionate, generous people. It is the environment you want for our children and for their children, too. Please don't close the Shriners hospital in Montreal," pop star Celine Dion said in the video.

Now that the vote is in, Lurie says there remains one outstanding question: whether to build the new facility on the site of the existing Montreal facility, or move it to a new 'superhospital' site on the McGill University campus.

Quoting Shriners Imperial Treasurer Gene Bracewell, who was a member of the executive committee that twice recommended relocation to London, Lurie said, "The hospital will stay where it is."

"But a lot of people from the Montreal delegation say that is basically sour grapes," he added, noting the ongoing push to build on the McGill health centre site.

^ oh well, London had nothing to lose. Shriners got more than the 1/3 of votes needed to keep the Shriner's Hospital in the other city, so obviously there must have been a very good reason for that, I just hope it's the right decision for the Shriners and Children involved. :)

How much voted in support of keeping it in Montreal? Will that be published? Still <50%?

:) Congrats to Montreal in winning the vote for the new hospital. I still think London would still have been a better site. Now conidering the population difference

Closing of hospital a key factor



BALTIMORE -- London lost its bid for the Shriners Canadian hospital because Shriners don't like closing hospitals, the head of the site selection committee said yesterday.

Gene Bracewell, who is also treasurer of the 500,000 international fraternity, said he sensed during the debate that London just wasn't going to get enough votes on the resolution that called for closing the Montreal Shriners hospital and building a new $100-million facility in London.

Shriners bylaws require a two-thirds majority for such actions.

"Had we been voting today to rehabilitate the hospital in Montreal and build another hospital in London, it probably would have passed very easily," he said.

But delegates were faced with having to close the Montreal hospital in order to build the London one.

"It is an emotional issue," Bracewell said. "People vote with their hearts, not with the facts."

Building a new hospital in London without closing the Montreal one is out of the question because of the expense, he said.

Bracewell defended the decision of site selection committees and the Shriners board to recommend London. He said the committees did their homework, one taking five years viewing alternatives.

In London's favour was that it had a new children's hospital and research focused on the future with robotics and telemedicine. "They have got everything there now that is being planned to be built in Montreal."

Montreal played heavily during the campaign on its 80-year connection with the Shriners hospital, asking delegates how they could turn their back on that.

Dr. Cecil Rorabeck, a member of London's bid committee in Baltimore, said the strategy worked. "The heart overruled the head. London had a better bid, but it takes a lot to close down 80 years of history and that is what were up against today," he said.

Jeff Low, chairperson of London Health Sciences Centre and part of London's team in Baltimore, said the bid committee did all it could. "We put together a great operation in London, we came down here with a great delegation," he said.

At one point, three Ontario cabinet ministers, the premier and Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco were all campaigning on the convention floor, drawing a favourable response from many of the Shriners.

A key part of London's lobbying in Baltimore focused on the contamination of the site proposed in Montreal for the Shriners hospital.

A video released by London and Toronto Shriners hit hard at the issue, raising indignation from Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who condemned it as outright lies.

Montreal also released a letter of support from former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and a video message from singer Celine Dion.

With one day to go, Quebec flew 250 children who had been patients at the Montreal Shriners hospital and their parents to the convention.

The children, some with leg braces and others in wheelchairs, lined the parade route for the Shriners Fourth of July parade.

London made its final move yesterday, announcing the city with the help of Stratford and Woodstock would put up $300,000 to help transport children to the hospital. The money was matched by the London and Toronto Shrine temples.





Copyright © The London Free Press
:)

Mocha Shriners handle decision with class



Just minutes before the news was due, the mood was upbeat at the Mocha Temple.

"London's going to win!" quipped one Shriner. "No doubt about it."

About two dozen local Shriners had gathered yesterday afternoon at the Colborne Street temple to await the news.

And amid the beer glasses, the burger plates and the cheery voices, it was hard to believe that it wouldn't be good news.

No -- make that impossible to believe.

The consensus was that London's committee had done its homework, and the city had already been recommended twice, and why in the world would any delegate in their right mind disregard such sound advice?

The Shriners were talking loud and laughing long. Frank Barber had carefully removed his fez hat from his hatbox and placed it proudly on his head. And for all the world, it felt like a championship ball game where the home team was the odds-on favourite and the fans were primed to party.

Then temple administrator Anita Frew walked in. And to be honest, she didn't even have to speak -- you could see it on her face.

Frew stood by the bar and explained she'd just had a phone call from Mocha Temple potentate Grant Fotheringham. She later added that she knew in an instant -- just from the sound of Fotheringham's voice before he delivered the news -- that the votes for London had fallen short.

I was going to say that Frew's announcement was greeted with stunned silence. But that's not quite right. This was something more -- this was silence stupefied and paralysed.

And then one Mocha member spoke.

"Well," said Bob Duffield. "Congratulations to Montreal."

And that's how it went for the next hour or so.

I heard no words of criticism. I heard no insults or attacks. I heard no suggestions of stupidity or duplicity or incompetence.

I only heard words of gracious dignity.

"I think this (London) was the better site," said Roger Rogers.

"But it's all for the kids. That's the whole focus. . . . The one thing we've got to remember is the kids."

The men sitting round the table nodded.

"I'm disappointed, very disappointed," said Barber.

"But the main priority is the children. Nobody can deny they've not been well looked after (in Montreal). And I'm sure that will continue."

Duffield had returned from the Baltimore convention the night before. He said the mood there among local delegates had been "very high."

"But you see, not being a voting member and not being in on that meeting of the people who voted . . . I didn't hear what was said today," he said.

"And whatever was said, today might have been the turning point."

No one at the Mocha Temple seemed able to explain how everything had gone so wrong.

"I can't figure it out," said Tom Prentice.

"We've worked on it now for about 10 years and a lot of guys are going to be disappointed. And that applies to the women (too), the Daughters of the Nile.

"Oh well, you have to accept it," he said. "There's no other way over it."

Nobody mentioned Quebec separatism or site contamination. Nobody whispered about dirty politics. Nobody took a shot at last-minute lobbyist Celine Dion.

"I felt that with the presentation and the people that we had on the committee and the literature that was sent out, I felt that we would get it," said Peter (Doc) West.

"I'm disappointed for our Shrine club, because so many of us would loved to have been volunteers (at the hospital). I was looking forward to being a tour guide."

Nobody seemed able to explain exactly what had gone wrong. Hardly anyone wanted to guess. Although when pressed, West floated a theory.

"Most of us are our age," he said, gesturing to his fellow Shriners and adding that the average member is in his mid-60s.

"And possibly, we don't like change. I guess we go with the tried and true."

Tried and true? That translates into proven and reliable. With these guys, I think it means classy, too.

WORD-FOR-WORD: HOW THE SHRINERS HOSPITAL BATTLE PLAYED OUT

The evolution, in quotes, of the Shriners hospital decision:

The idea

"It would be huge. It would raise the medical profile of this town even more."

Dave Fahrner, Mocha Shriners chief rabban, as London makes four-city short list for new Shriners hospital, Oct. 11, 2000

"I have never seen a community more exuberant and more supportive of encouraging us to come than I have the city of London."

Gene Bracewell, head of the Shriners hospital selection committee, Jan. 25, 2002

"This isn't a 100-metre dash. This is a marathon."

London Health Sciences Centre president Tony Dagnone, May 23, 2003

London wins (Round 1)

"The boards have unanimously voted to recommend London as the site."

Bracewell, April 7, 2004

"We can never overestimate the enormity of what this means to London. People just have no idea how big this is."

London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco, April 7, 2004

"There should be no room for politics in making the best decision for children. I would be very disappointed if this turns into a cat fight."

Dagnone, April 9, 2004

"For us, it's not over."

Cathy Rouleau, spokesperson for Quebec's health minister, April 9, 2004

The wrangling

"It makes no sense pouting. People have to accept any time you have a competition, you're only going to have one left on the stand."

Dagnone, May 13, 2004

"The Shriners' Canadian hospital will never recover its reputation for excellence . . . if it attempts to rebuild in a smaller, regional centre."

Dr. Francis Glorieux, head of research at Montreal Shriners Hospital, May 31, 2004

Reconsideration (again)

"They feel everyone should have a fair chance."

Don Warner, potentate of Mocha Temple as Montreal and Ottawa get back in the running, July 6, 2004

"We will just regroup."

Dagnone, July 6, 2004

London wins (Round 2)

"We are going full tilt (for London) now. I am sure Montreal is disappointed and they are great people there, as is Ottawa, but we have to look at doing what is best for the kids in the future."

Bracewell as committee again picks London, April 20, 2005

"This really is an historical moment for this community."

DeCicco, April 20, 2005

"I intend to dedicate all of my energy in an effort to try to reverse today's recommendation."

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay, April 20, 2005

More wrangling

"I think this (Montreal) noise about protesting in Baltimore is fast approaching unprofessionalism."

Dagnone, April 21, 2005

"It took our representatives from Newfoundland over 10 hours to get here. I think to put that kind of stress on a patient . . . will weigh on my decision."

Calgary potentate Dave Dyson during a site visit here, June 14, 2005

"I am used to competing and (am) mindful of my dad's advice: 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose as long as you win.' "

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, June 30, 2005

"We have made our recommendation for the future and the brightest spot in the future is London."

Bracewell, July 3, 2005

"I told (McGuinty) the video was sleazy . . . It is misleading. It lies. It's extremely slick."

Quebec Premier Jean Charest, about video saying Montreal site contaminated, July 4, 2005

London loses (Final round)

"People that didn't know what we had to offer, the kind of health care and research, all of a sudden know about London, Ontario."

A dejected DeCicco reacts yesterday to the Shriners' decision in Baltimore to stay put in Montreal, saying London's profile grew during the fight for the prestigious hospital.





Copyright © The London Free Press

But the head of London's Shriners hospital bid knows no way to appeal.




The fight for a $100-million Shriners hospital isn't finished yet, the disappointed but determined leader of London's bid committee said yesterday.

Twenty-four hours after Shriners delegates voted in Baltimore against moving their Canadian children's hospital here from Montreal, Tony Dagnone refused to concede defeat.

"I just cannot see the Shriners . . . putting a $100-million investment on a site that is well-known to be contaminated," he said, referring to a criticism the Montreal committee has strongly denied.

"To clean that up would cost millions of dollars and it's going to take . . . years."

Though Dagnone, who flew back from Baltimore with Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco yesterday, knew of no possible appeals process, he stressed he hasn't given up hope.

"We're going to be talking to some of the (Shriners) leaders and we might have a better answer for you in a few days," the president of London Health Sciences Centre said at London International Airport.

DeCicco, who wept after learning London lost on Tuesday, said the city hasn't taken its bid off the table.

"Certainly what we had to offer would still be here tomorrow, presuming that everything was in the same context," she said, adding she wasn't certain the battle was over. "I just don't know that that's a question we could answer today. It's really in (the Shriners') hands to see what they're going to do with Montreal."

A Shriners scouting team twice recommended London as the home of the new 40-bed hospital, which would end an 80-year relationship with Montreal. That proposal needed two-thirds approval from the more than 1,200 delegates in Baltimore, but fell well short.

There were 605 votes in favour of the move to London, 608 opposed.

A video put together by the London committee -- which included London Shriners, London Health Sciences Centre and the City of London -- referred to the contaminated site and irked Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who called it "misleading."

Dagnone also raised the separatist issue yesterday.

"Will (Montreal) still be a part of this great country in 10 years?" he asked. "We were identifying some huge, huge issues that they have to grapple with."

In Montreal, however, those connected to the current Shriners hospital had little doubt their city is perfect for the new facility. Maureen Brennan, administrator of the 40-bed hospital, was happy to have the vote finished.

"The hospital's been here for many years," she said. "It's developed expertise in North America and internationally. It takes years to build (that) up.

"We're relieved because it has been a difficult time to maintain the staff morale."

Montreal's hospital has 256 employees with a rotation of 13 children's orthopedic surgeons and a budget of $17 million. Most of its workers wouldn't consider following their jobs out of Montreal, Brennan said.





Copyright © The London Free Press

I think London should give up on the Shriners because they have been stringing both cities (Montreal and London) along for far too long.

Think of it, moral has been sinking at the hospital in Montreal for years because they feared they would lose their hospital, while London has been sitting on the edge of their seats expecting they would get a new hospital. London was even awared the hospital with Montreal losing it, but Montreal was able to get the decision stayed so both cities had to go through the whole review process again.

I know that the Shriners are doing a very good thing with their charitable work, but they should not be proud of how unprofessionally they have handled this process. They have acted like a group of senile old farts. I guess the membership figure that the committee that selected London twice now are just a group of potted plants to be ignored.