Paul Sabourin grew up in Mississauga. For years, he says, he has known what many residents feel every time they wait in a crowded emergency department: the city needs more hospital beds, and it needs a bigger hospital.
As a co-chair of Trillium Health Partners Foundation's Built for Us campaign, he has been helping to lead the effort to build it.
"We are, in fact, the seventh largest city in Canada. We're deserving of a world-class hospital," says Sabourin, past Chair of Trillium Health Partners Foundation's Board. "It's going to take time. It's going to take effort. It's going to take dollars. And I think people are going to be super proud to be in Mississauga, and super proud to have been part of the build."
What is the Built for Us campaign?
Canada's largest health care infrastructure renewal project
The $1 billion Built for Us campaign supports the largest health care infrastructure renewal project in Canadian history, which includes: The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital, which will be Canada's largest hospital; the Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, Ontario's first hospital dedicated to women and children; and the redevelopment of The Gilgan Family Queensway Health Centre.
Sabourin leads the campaign alongside fellow co-chairs John Pearson and Greg Grice, supported by a Campaign Cabinet that includes longtime volunteer Jake Dheer.
More than 80 years of combined connection to Trillium Health Partners
Together, they have been connected to Trillium Health Partners Foundation and Trillium Health Partners for a combined 80-plus years --- wearing many different hats along the way --- from hospital volunteer, patient, donor and family member of a patient, to Board and Campaign Cabinet members.
They also bring a shared conviction that what happens here will matter far beyond Mississauga.
For Grice, a Mississauga resident whose involvement with Trillium spans three decades, the significance of the moment is national in scope.
"This is not just about the city of Mississauga or West GTA. This is about changing health care for the better," he says. "The work being done at Trillium [Health Partners] through all of the focus around healthier communities is transferable beyond this market, into other parts of Canada and beyond. This is about building something better and bigger, and I'm so excited to be part of it."
Why build Canada's largest hospital in Mississauga?
Serving one of Canada's most diverse communities
The reason Trillium Health Partners is positioned to lead, the co-chairs say, lies in the challenges it faces every day. The hospital serves one of the largest and fastest-growing regions in the country, and one of its most diverse populations.
"We can translate into something north of 130 languages, that's how many languages are spoken when people come into our emergency department,” says Sabourin, a donor and current Trillium Health Partners Board Chair. “The most diverse population, the greatest degree of complexity in delivering care. If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere in Canada."
Pearson adds: "If you're going to do it — do it here.”
He points to a hospital that has long managed enormous patient volumes and still found new and interesting ways to deliver care. "The whole organization, from the very top to the very bottom, is aligned with being better against huge odds, and yet they deliver," he says. "Now, given this opportunity to build this new hospital they're going to change the paradigm, not just here, but across the province and across the country. There are lots of people facing this, but they haven't had the ability to do it. We will. And of course, we'll share it."
How will the new hospitals change health care in Canada?
Health care is "stretched, not broken"
Sabourin joined the Foundation board in 2016 partly, he says, to learn more about health care.
"I don't personally believe it's broken,” he says. “It's stretched, and it needs some help."
The answer, he believes, includes rethinking how care is delivered, including through artificial intelligence and better processes. "We actually have to fundamentally figure out, in small ways and maybe in some big ways, how to change that system."
Attracting exceptional health care talent
Grice sees reasons for optimism. Among his proudest contributions, he says, was helping Trillium Health Partners Foundation build the capabilities and infrastructure needed to support "a grander, bolder vision," and watching the hospital attract exceptional talent. "The quality of the people that make up Trillium [Health Partners] is something you can stand back and be very proud of."
Why do donors give to Trillium Health Partners Foundation?
All three co-chairs are donors themselves, and view philanthropy as a privilege.
Pearson, retired for 10 years, says he became involved with Trillium Health Partners Foundation again, because he wanted to return something to the world and make an impact beyond himself. His donation was one of the first he ever made.
"It was interesting how joyful it was," he says. "You get way more back than you give, because of the feeling you get in knowing you're helping."
Philanthropy you can see
Pearson says that in his conversations with other donors, one message resonates above all: their contribution is visible. "It's not just some number going into some big bucket somewhere. You can see the impact of it," he says. "Lots of people, like me, love to see that they move the needle. To really see it is a hugely compelling case, because they don't get that everywhere."
When donors give to Trillium [Health Partners Foundation], Pearson says, "they can actually help change the answer. They can deliver better care. They can deliver new care."
How can you support the Built for Us campaign?
Sabourin has this message for anyone looking to get involved.
"Just like the campaign says, we're building this for us," he says. "Maybe you donate money. Maybe you donate some of your time. Maybe you organize a way to raise money for the hospital. Maybe you just tell some friends. The first job is awareness. Make sure everybody knows we're building this big hospital, and then help us in any way you can."
What does "Built for Us" mean to the community?
For Campaign Cabinet member Jake Dheer, the idea of building "for us" is deeply personal.
"My family has used this hospital," he says. "Whether it's my kids being born here, Mom having her surgery, or Dad's end-of-life care. This is our hospital."
Dheer's connection to Trillium spans more than 30 years, in roles ranging from hospital volunteer to board member. What he's most proud of, he says, is watching the community come together around its hospital. "Seeing the growth, and engaging the community in health care and why it's important to do our part. Seeing the community come together, whether it's at our events or through engagement in so many ways. That's been a great accomplishment."
When he thinks about Built for Us, his focus is on who it's for. "It's about thinking about the future," he says. "It's not just about growth today in our community, but about our future generations. Health care is the number one thing that we need, from the time we're born, or our children and grandkids are born — to when it's time for us to leave this planet."
Every gift matters
That's why, he says, every contribution matters. "We give with our heart. We give generously, and we give what we can, whether it's $1, $5, $50, $500, whatever we can. We need to do our part, because health care is important to all of us."
For Grice, the campaign marks a turning point, from planning to action.
"We are far from the planning stage. We're actually into execution, but there's much more to do," he says. "The vision is very solid, and I think it's going to help us build a healthier community over time. This is an ambitious journey, and I'm just so excited to watch it unfold."
