News Releases

Royal Victoria Hospital Receives $500,000 Gift from BMO Financial Group to Help Bring Cancer Care Closer to Home

BMO Financial Group is helping residents of Barrie and the surrounding area to have greater access to health care by making a $500,000 pledge to Royal Victoria Hospital’s “I Believe Campaign.”

The funds will be used for the hospital’s proposed $250 million expansion which includes the building of the Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre. This extremely generous donation represents the campaign’s first pledge by a financial institution.

“ BMO is a stalwart supporter of RVH and we are pleased to contribute to this important campaign,” said Bruce Williams, Vice President, BMO Bank of Montreal for the York Simcoe District during a reception held at Royal Victoria Hospital. “I sincerely hope that BMO’s gift will help RVH meet its expansion plans and the growing needs of cancer patients who have come to depend on your services.”

“ This outstanding contribution speaks to BMO Financial Group’s commitment – not just to RVH – but to this entire community,” says Janice Skot, RVH President and CEO. “It’s this kind of leadership that will ensure the success of this expansion project.”

The RVH expansion will almost double the physical size of the hospital and add over 240 beds. The Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer centre will provide comprehensive cancer care to residents throughout the region. This means that the more than 2,000 patients who now have to travel for their life-saving radiation treatment will receive cancer care closer to home. The hospital is currently awaiting the green light from the Ministry of Health to proceed with the project.

About RVH
RVH is the only hospital serving the rapidly growing city of Barrie and surrounding areas, operating a total of 297 beds with an occupancy rate of 96%. Its emergency department is the second busiest in Ontario treating more than 75,000 patients each year, and the volume of its cancer care clinic has doubled in the last five years.

About BMO Financial Group
Since 1817, BMO Financial Group has believed in community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility to the communities it serves. BMO Financial Group contributed more than $29 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events in 2004, supporting thousands of communities, charities and not-for-profit organizations in Canada. In 2005, BMO was named Best Corporate Citizen of the Year in Canada by Corporate Knights magazine.

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Chris Gariepy (left), Royal Victoria Hospital's Chair of the Board of Directors, recently joined Rob Crema, Area Manager BMO Bank of Montreal, Janice Skot, RVH President and Chief Executive Officer, David Blenkarn, Chair of the RVH Foundation Board, Dale Pickard, BMO Lending Specialist and Bruce Williams, Vice President BMO Bank of Montreal York Region, in announcing the BMO Financial Group's $500,000 contribution to the hospital's "I Believe" Capital Campaign.