Life-long Windsor resident and well-known former Chrysler executive, Frank O’Reilly, is issuing a challenge to the community: For donations to the Windsor Hospital Appeal in the month of March, he will match contributions dollar for dollar for a maximum gift of $5,000 to the campaign. Donations can be made publicly or anonymously at www.gofundme.com/windsorhospitalappeal.
The Windsor Hospital Appeal was launched in early 2019 in response to the August 13, 2018, Windsor City Council vote to rezone 1,000 acres of currently active farmland south of Windsor’s Airport. The rezoning would permit the construction of houses, businesses and the Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) mega Campus. Both Met and Ouellette - currently acute care hospital sites - are set to close if the new facility is built.
The Windsor Hospital Appeal is backed by Citizens For An Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process. They have formally requested the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) send the decision back to Windsor City Council on the grounds that it didn’t properly or adequately consider Windsor’s Official Plan and Ontario’s Planning Policy, when approving the Sandwich South Secondary Plan.
The first LPAT case management conference is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on March 20, 2019. This meeting is open to the public and will take place at Windsor City Hall.
Recent data indicate Windsor’s population is rapidly aging and its economy is static. The plan for Sandwich South will place a greater financial burden on Windsor taxpayers and negatively impact established neighborhoods near the existing Met and Ouellette WRH campuses. It will also make hospital-based services much less accessible for tens of thousands of Windsor’s more than 200,000 residents, particularly the elderly, the disabled and those who don’t or can’t drive.
Frank O’Reilly is one of the many people opposed to the rezoning, and he is prepared to “put his money where his mouth is.” Windsor residents will remember Frank as one of Windsor’s great success stories. After navigating an impoverished childhood, including spending some time in an orphanage, Frank rose to become the Vice President of Manufacturing for Chrysler Canada. He shared Windsor’s tough times, including the near-bankruptcy of Chrysler, the region’s largest employer. During this period, he was also in charge of truck production.
Frank and his wife Saralee remember both Windsor and Detroit had booming downtowns with things to do and thriving businesses. Frank is quick to recall seeing Gordie Howe play at Windsor Arena. “I look across the river and see how downtown Detroit is finally coming back, and then I think about this decision to move the hospital to the middle of nowhere. I believe we are about to make a tragic mistake---a mistake that can be avoided, and we should avoid it. None of us gets a pass for indifference.”
“I have run big organizations, and I know that these types of decisions can be complicated. But this decision is wrong for Windsor. I have nothing to gain from standing up against it; I am 91 years old. But I know this city and I love it. I want to protect its future if I can, even though I will be gone.”
Frank and Saralee are lifelong Catholics who wish to share their faith and their good fortune with others. It is their belief that the victims in this scenario are those who are the most vulnerable to the suspect motives of the powerful. “We can use our money to help amplify the donations of people who struggle even to feed their families. We see lots of donations of $5 or $20 and we understand how hard it can be to give even a little. Our matching campaign is about making those small donations count.”
Frank has been an inspiring example of business leadership for Windsor, through good times and bad. “I can’t just sit idly by and watch my city make a mistake this big.”
Saralee, who also spoke at City Council on August 13, says, “I feel like someone is trying to take our downtown and replace it with ‘Airport Town’. Someone wants to build a new housing development far away from where people actually live now. Where are the people going to come from? Hospitals belong where people live.”
If you want to get the best bang for your contribution, donate online in the month of March at www.gofundme.com/windsorhospitalappeal. Frank and Saralee will match total donations dollar for dollar up to $5,000.
For more about the LPAT challenge and how the Sandwich South Secondary Plan and hospital zoning disregard municipal and provincial planning policies, please go to www.windsormegahospital.ca.
The Windsor Hospital Appeal was launched in early 2019 in response to the August 13, 2018, Windsor City Council vote to rezone 1,000 acres of currently active farmland south of Windsor’s Airport. The rezoning would permit the construction of houses, businesses and the Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) mega Campus. Both Met and Ouellette - currently acute care hospital sites - are set to close if the new facility is built.
The Windsor Hospital Appeal is backed by Citizens For An Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process. They have formally requested the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) send the decision back to Windsor City Council on the grounds that it didn’t properly or adequately consider Windsor’s Official Plan and Ontario’s Planning Policy, when approving the Sandwich South Secondary Plan.
The first LPAT case management conference is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on March 20, 2019. This meeting is open to the public and will take place at Windsor City Hall.
Recent data indicate Windsor’s population is rapidly aging and its economy is static. The plan for Sandwich South will place a greater financial burden on Windsor taxpayers and negatively impact established neighborhoods near the existing Met and Ouellette WRH campuses. It will also make hospital-based services much less accessible for tens of thousands of Windsor’s more than 200,000 residents, particularly the elderly, the disabled and those who don’t or can’t drive.
Frank O’Reilly is one of the many people opposed to the rezoning, and he is prepared to “put his money where his mouth is.” Windsor residents will remember Frank as one of Windsor’s great success stories. After navigating an impoverished childhood, including spending some time in an orphanage, Frank rose to become the Vice President of Manufacturing for Chrysler Canada. He shared Windsor’s tough times, including the near-bankruptcy of Chrysler, the region’s largest employer. During this period, he was also in charge of truck production.
Frank and his wife Saralee remember both Windsor and Detroit had booming downtowns with things to do and thriving businesses. Frank is quick to recall seeing Gordie Howe play at Windsor Arena. “I look across the river and see how downtown Detroit is finally coming back, and then I think about this decision to move the hospital to the middle of nowhere. I believe we are about to make a tragic mistake---a mistake that can be avoided, and we should avoid it. None of us gets a pass for indifference.”
“I have run big organizations, and I know that these types of decisions can be complicated. But this decision is wrong for Windsor. I have nothing to gain from standing up against it; I am 91 years old. But I know this city and I love it. I want to protect its future if I can, even though I will be gone.”
Frank and Saralee are lifelong Catholics who wish to share their faith and their good fortune with others. It is their belief that the victims in this scenario are those who are the most vulnerable to the suspect motives of the powerful. “We can use our money to help amplify the donations of people who struggle even to feed their families. We see lots of donations of $5 or $20 and we understand how hard it can be to give even a little. Our matching campaign is about making those small donations count.”
Frank has been an inspiring example of business leadership for Windsor, through good times and bad. “I can’t just sit idly by and watch my city make a mistake this big.”
Saralee, who also spoke at City Council on August 13, says, “I feel like someone is trying to take our downtown and replace it with ‘Airport Town’. Someone wants to build a new housing development far away from where people actually live now. Where are the people going to come from? Hospitals belong where people live.”
If you want to get the best bang for your contribution, donate online in the month of March at www.gofundme.com/windsorhospitalappeal. Frank and Saralee will match total donations dollar for dollar up to $5,000.
For more about the LPAT challenge and how the Sandwich South Secondary Plan and hospital zoning disregard municipal and provincial planning policies, please go to www.windsormegahospital.ca.
