Peter Gilgan honours west end roots and parents with record donation to St. Joseph's Health Centre

TORONTO, ON --(Marketwired - September 07, 2017) - Peter Gilgan, founder and CEO of Mattamy Homes, is paying tribute to his parents and his childhood in the west end of Toronto with a $10 million donation to the Promise Campaign at St. Joseph's Health Centre. Gilgan, who was born at St. Joseph's Health Centre, is making one of the largest donations in the hospital's history to support west end community care.

One of Canada's most generous philanthropists, Gilgan has donated more than $175 million to support life-changing causes. This donation to the $70 million Promise Campaign has sentimental value for Gilgan, who along with his six siblings was born at St. Joe's. The gift will name the Gilgan Family Wing in honour of his parents and the family's strong ties to the community.

"The importance of community care, and supporting St. Joe's half-a-million neighbours who rely on this valuable community hospital, cannot be overstated," says Gilgan. "My parents started our family in this community and I was born here along with my siblings. I want to make sure that St. Joe's remains a vital community resource for all of the new families starting out here today and am proud to connect my family name to this fine health centre."

Gilgan's donation will have immediate impact and advance the campaign's goal to modernize and enhance spaces for patients, purchase new equipment and technology, and create specialized areas to meet the community's unique health needs.

"Peter Gilgan's gift is transformative for St. Joseph's. It's one of the largest in our history and will help us improve our facilities to support our west end neighbours. We'll be a better Health Centre thanks to him and are grateful that he has remembered where he and his brothers and sisters were born," says Maria Dyck, President and CEO, St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation. "Beyond dollars and cents, it marks the continued commitment of Gilgan to supporting community hospitals and great local care."

Gilgan will join forces with co-chairs of the Promise campaign, Victor Dodig, CEO and President of CIBC, and Brendan Shanahan, President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the Promise to make Toronto's west end one of the healthiest community in Canada. Dodig and Shanahan both have strong community ties and have committed to transform care at St. Joseph's.

"Peter's business has always been about building communities," says Dodig. "This transformative gift is pivotal to supporting this community, for the people who call it home today and for future generations to come."

Community hospitals are at the heart of a healthy community. St. Joe's sees over 500,000 visits every year and our teams provide the full spectrum of care from paediatric care to specialized services for seniors-supporting people and families through all of life's important moments.

"St. Joe's has been serving the west-end for almost 100 years and significant donations like these help the hospital to advance its vision to make this community one of the healthiest in Canada," said Dr. Bob Howard, Interim President CEO of the newly integrated health network which includes Providence Healthcare, St. Joseph's Health Centre and St. Michael's Hospital. "We are thankful for the generosity of the Gilgan family."

About St. Joseph's Health Centre

St. Joseph's Health Centre is a Catholic community teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto that has served the communities of west Toronto and beyond since its founding by the Sisters of St. Joseph nearly a century ago. Empowered by the dedication of our staff, physicians, students and volunteers, and emboldened through strong partnerships and the input of local residents, St. Joseph's is committed to achieving its vision of advancing the health of our community by being Canada's best community teaching health centre. For more information on St. Joseph's Health Centre, visit www.stjoestoronto.ca and for details on the Promise Campaign, go to www.supportstjoes.ca.