Toronto councillor, firefighters' association campaigning to open Ontario's first burn victim centre
The planned Burn Survivor Family Support Centre would be the first burn care centre in the province, according a news release from Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents Toronto-St. Paul's. The building would include eight suites for families and burn survivors who regularly need to visit Toronto's hospitals for their treatment plan.
"Unfortunately, far too many people do suffer burns and they need the care that they deserve, along with a place to stay when they need that care," Matlow said at a news conference on Monday.
Located on Eglinton Avenue W., it's perfectly situated near public transport and SickKids and Sunnybrook hospitals, Toronto Professional Firefighters' Association (TPFA) president Mike Smith said.
"The biggest part of it is that the families will be able to experience what they're going through with other families in the same situation," Smith said at Monday's news conference.
The centre would also have its own psychologists and sociologists available to help, which would be paid for by the TPFA's charitable foundation, Smith said.
Families would be required to pay a "small nominal fee" of $25 per day, which would go towards linens and other maintenance costs for the building, Matlow said.
As of now, Matlow said it's too early to know when the centre could open — the city and TPFA are still working to find donors for the $12-million project, which would include the refurbishment of the historic fire station, which was built in 1932.
"We want to put it to better use now. We wanted to bring it back to life," Matlow said.
Matlow said he will be dedicating over a million dollars of the Community Benefits Charge toward the goal.
Along with the burn centre, a firefighter heritage museum would be added to the heritage building's ground floor, Matlow said.
City committee considered burn centre motion Monday
In December 2024, Matlow brought a motion to city council to explore the feasibility of using an old fire hall to host a museum and burn survivor centre.
The report came back Monday, where it is was considered and adopted at the general government committee meeting.
"I'm happy to announce that the staff support this. They believe not only is it feasible, but it's something we should do," Matlow said.
The motion's ratification now means the development of the project can move to the next steps, including funding and lease agreements.
The centre is being modelled after Vancouver's Burn Fund Centre, which opened in 2016, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Nova Scotia summers are getting hotter. Is Halifax prepared?
Social Sharing Amid a provincewide heat warning, a Halifax emergency room doctor is speaking out about the severity of heat-related illnesses. Daytime temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 28 C to 32 C in Nova Scotia on Thursday, but cooler temperatures are expected along the coast. "Take action to protect yourself and others – extreme heat can affect everyone's health," the Environment Canada warning notes. "Determine if you or others around you are at greater risk of heat illness." According to studies by the Canadian Climate Institute, Canada will see four times more days with temperatures exceeding 30 C by 2050. Dr. Matthew Clarke, an emergency room doctor at the Halifax Infirmary, said seniors, children and immunocompromised individuals are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. He said socioeconomic factors can also put people at risk, like being homeless. "When it comes to warmth, we don't always think of it as being a risk factor in the same way [as the cold], but it certainly is," said Clarke. On Tuesday, the Halifax Regional Municipality posted advice on its Facebook page for residents trying to stay cool. It suggested staying indoors, remaining hydrated and turning on fans or air conditioning. For those without access to a cool space, the city recommended going to a public library. Clarke said while it's important for individuals to drink water and stay inside, he thinks a larger, systemic approach is needed when considering the warming climate. Two years ago, a city staff report laid out some of the preliminary steps needed to prepare for and respond to heat waves. A 2021 heat dome in B.C. led to more than 600 deaths. Most of the B.C. deaths happened indoors in homes without cooling systems. According to the Nova Scotia government, as of 2021, only 41 per cent of Halifax homes had air conditioning. Staff report recommendations The city's 2023 staff report recommended setting up cooling stations as a response to extreme heat events. These air-conditioned spaces could be placed in municipally owned buildings or shopping malls. As well, the report said the municipality should take steps to create greater awareness of the cooling centres and check in with vulnerable residents during instances of extreme heat. Some of the other recommendations were for the municipality to: Offer free transit to cool spaces. Provide mobile cooling centres to seniors' homes and other at-risk locations. Set up pop-up outdoor shading and cooling like tents, fans or misting stations. Create a webpage that points residents to a cool space near them, similar to Toronto's "Cool Spaces Near You" page. Despite the recommendations, the city said in a statement that "many measures remain in preliminary or planning stages." Studies show that emergency departments visits and death rates increase in Canada following a heat wave. Emergency room visits When compiling data on things like death rates and emergency room visits, Nova Scotia Public Health said it does not track weather conditions. Last year, the department said there were 43 heat-related emergency visits in the province. These visits include health issues like heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration. Public Health said this figure only includes events where heat was the obvious cause. It does not include emergencies where heat may have been a factor. Clarke said heat often exacerbates other health issues. "People who feel more non-specific symptoms of feeling more weak, more tired, headache, nausea, things like that, heat is certainly a significant contributing factor, but it's a little bit more difficult to pin down that it must have been related," he said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Federal judge deems Ottawa's refusal of Jordan's Principle funds to renovate mouldy home 'unreasonable'
Social Sharing A federal court has overturned and granted a judicial review of Indigenous Services of Canada's (ISC) decision to deny an Oneida Nation of the Thames woman funding to renovate her mould-contaminated home, which she says has caused her grandchildren's asthma symptoms to worsen. In her written decision, Justice Ann Marie McDonald said ISC took an "unreasonably narrow approach" in its refusal for funding Joanne Powless requested through Jordan's Principle as the primary caregiver for her granddaughters, aged eight and 10. The program is designed to ensure First Nations kids get the medical care and social services supports they need in a timely manner, with the provinces and Ottawa later sorting out jurisdictional battles over who is responsible for the bill. Powless, who lives on the territory west of London, Ont., has spent three years asking the agency to cover renovation costs of almost $200,000 to remove mould and fix deteriorating ceilings and walls in her home, along with temporary relocation, food and personal hygiene items. Despite documentation from the children's pediatrician, and contractors explaining the scale of the mould and how its affecting their health, Ottawa rejected Powless's application twice. It explained that mould remediation services are outside the scope of Jordan's Principle criteria because they're also not available to the general Canadian public. "It was unreasonable for ISC to deny the request by narrowly framing it as a housing remediation request, rather than assessing it through a substantive equality lens and the health and best interests of the children, as Jordan's Principle requires," McDonald wrote in her July 10 decision. "The request was grounded in serious health concerns, and the evidence shows that no viable alternatives were available. ISC relied on the $200,000 cost as a reason for denial, but this reliance was misplaced." McDonald said there is no evidence that Jordan's Principle has monetary limits or that the quoted cost was inflated or unreasonable, and ordered ISC to reconsider its decision which she said "reflects an inconsistent application" of the program. ISC uses substantive equality to assess whether requests should be funded, which requires the responses to be tailored to unique causes of a specific group's historical disadvantage, geographical and cultural needs and circumstances, its website states. Changed needed to how Jordan's Principle is applied Powless's lawyer David Taylor said McDonald's decision indicates minimal progress and he hopes ISC will make a quick decision ruling in his client's favour this time. "This is obviously a very concerning situation. This house has been compromised by mould for more than three years," he said. "Hopefully [ISC's] decision will be an approval based on the federal court found were very serious circumstances these kids are facing." Powless previously told CBC News that her granddaughters frequently get sick, with multiple visits to the emergency room and have missed school as a result. "It's very frustrating and I feel bad as a grandma that I have to keep living here with these two little girls. I wish I could just pick up and leave and take them to a healthy place but I got nowhere else to take them," she said in May. Housing shortages and overcrowding have been ongoing issues on Oneida Nation of the Thames for many years. It's also had a boil-water advisory in effect since 2019 that became long-term in September 2020. Taylor said this case speaks to a growing pattern of "similarly narrow perspectives" in denials of Jordan's Principle funding, especially in recent months. "There's a real need for Indigenous Services Canada to be taking a serious look at its current approach to Jordan's principle and that's in particular because we're dealing with First Nations kids who by definition are in vulnerable circumstances," he said. "We should not be waiting for more judicial decisions to have to continue highlighting this, it's something that should be addressed directly and promptly." The family, meanwhile, is waiting for ISC's redetermination with the hopes of getting the money so the renovation work can be finished before winter, said Taylor.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Newfoundland teen with diabetes is a 'rock star' with fundraising effort
Brett Samson's life is like that of many other 13-year-olds. He loves to play sports, spends as much time on his bike as he does on his pillow, and regularly takes the dog for a walk. His work on his hobby farm with his parents accounts for a lot of spare time too, as he raises chickens and turkeys and grows an abundance of vegetables. However unlike many other teens his age, Brett was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in October of 2020 when he was eight, and has to work every day to manage the disease. "As soon as I came out of the hospital, we didn't know what to do. We were still new to it. But we all had to buckle down and figure it out. We got through it," Brett told CBC News. Soon after his diagnoses, his family realized their insurance coverage meant they wouldn't have to go far out of pocket to address Brett's new medical needs. However, it also made them realize others were not as fortunate. "It's a lot easier to manage your diabetes if you have these different medical supplies," Brett said. "If you don't, you have to prick your finger and take needles all the time." As a result, he launched Brett's Stand for Diabetes to support people in Newfoundland and Labrador with diabetes access digital continuous glucose monitoring devices and other diabetic medical supplies. He organizes an annual run and bike ride for charity, and gives the proceeds of his vegetables sales to the cause. Since his diagnosis almost five years ago, Brett has raised about $40,000. WATCH | Brett Samson is showing no signs of slowing down: Brett Samson of Peterview was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just eight-years-old, and has been raising money to support people in similar situations ever since. As the CBC's Troy Turner reports, Samson has done everything from farming to biking, with no signs of slowing down. Brett's Stand for Diabetes has partnered with the Glenn's Helping Hand, a Mount Pearl-based foundation that provides financial assistance for the treatment of diabetes to low-income individuals. His parents Corey and Stephanie also volunteer on Glenn's Helping Hand's board. "We wanted to do something that we enjoyed, which was farming and mountain biking and all that," Corey Samson said. Stephanie Samson recalls how the initial shocks of her son's diabetes diagnosis quickly turned to figuring out ways their family could help others. She says every year Brett's fundraising continues to get busier. "It's a little more rewarding for us when we know that what we're doing, every penny of this is being spent on some type of supplies to help somebody who doesn't have the money to buy it themselves," she said. A partnership with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services and Glenn's Helping Hand last year put about 100 diabetes kits into schools. "Brett wears a backpack with all of his supplies in it, but there could be a day that he could forget it on the step, or he might forget it on the bus. Same thing with all these students," said Stephanie Samson. "So these kits are kept in the office of the school in case the child needs any supplies out of it." The advocacy Brett is doing for other people with diabetes is something his parents are proud of. "I feel like if it was me that was diagnosed, I'd be a crooked old man and I'd be laid on the couch and crooked and mad at the world," Corey Samson said. "But he's embraced it… He's a rock star." Brett is just happy to do his part to help others. "It helps us to be together and helps us become better as a family," he said.
