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Beaver THE OAKVILLE Voted Ontario's Top Newspaper Four Years in a Row - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 www.brantflorist.com/ob 905.639.7001 www.dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 www.carstaroakville.com 905-8457579 905-847 -2595 2212 Wyecroft Rd. 547 Trafalgar Rd. HALTON TRANSMISSION Style in the air downtown Page 25 (905) 559 SPEERS ROAD, UNIT #3 842-0725 A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 48 No. 43 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 40 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) COURTESY HALTON HEALTHCARE SERVICES HOSPITAL OF THE FUTURE: Artist's rendering of the proposed Oakville hospital on Third Line and Dundas Street. Council approves funding for new hospital By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Only two councillors oppose $200-M commitment paid over the next 30 years to cover the hospital's lifecycle costs and $30 million paid at the time of the project's financial close, but only if it is seen as necessary by the council of the day. Ward 3 Town and Regional Councillor Keith Bird, who voted against the contribution, said during Tuesday's meeting that he had seen nothing to convince him that the hospital funding was a responsibility of the municipal government and voiced concerns that giving the money to HHS would end the dialogue with the Province to change this. Ward 2 Councillor Cathy Duddeck also voted against the contribution stating she would not vote to burden residents with another tax, particularly when so many questions remain unanswered about the new hospital -- such as when the proposed 457 beds will be staffed and operational. Duddeck said she resented the Province for legislating how much an area should grow and then not fully funding the things the area needs to accommodate that growth. After months of debates, delegations, a town-wide survey and public meetings, Oakville council has voted to contribute $200 million to Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) to help build the new Oakville hospital. The decision, which was supported by all but two councillors, will see the Oakville contribution paid in chunks with a $130 million payment due when the hospital is open and operational in 2015, another $40 million "The Oakville community is being asked to finance something that is a provincial responsibility," said Duddeck. "Even if the Province refused to completely fund the building of the hospital, at the very least it could have reinstated the Development Charges Act. That would have provided regional governments the much needed tools to fund capital costs for building new hospitals." Those who voted for the decision cited a number of reasons. Ward 6 Town and Regional Councillor See Some page 3