8 Friday, August 30, 2019 brooklintowncrier.com A Hospital in Brooklin? Deputy Mayor - By Rhonda Mulcahy This is a real possibility. Last week I represented Whitby as part of a delegation with the Deputy Premier and Health Minister of Ontario, Christine Elliott. We met at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa where I was given 15 minutes to plead the case for a Durham acute care hospital to be located on our Whitby site. Christine Elliott and her late husband, Jim Flaherty, had represented and lived in Whitby for many years until the last provincial election. She is quite familiar with the municipality. So it's less challenging to sell something when both sides of the table are familiar with the subject. I began by stating, "I'm going to try to temper my enthusiasm slightly because I am so excited about how great a site we have for the hospital." The Town has 45 acres on the south side of the 407 on the west side of Baldwin, a site that will be serviced by the new mid-block road for which the Town is currently doing an environmental assessment. We mentioned numerous other key factors that make this site attractive for a hospital: Proximity to the 407 & 412 Proximity to Ontario Tech University and Durham College Walkable to existing amenities including practitioners, pharmacies and health centres Walkable to historical downtown Brooklin On the trail system into Heber Down Conservation Area Access to transit Proximity within the fastest growing town in the fastest growing region in Canada. Located in the heart of Durham with easier access to health care for ALL Durham Region Municipalities while relieving the pressure off Scugog and Uxbridge Cottage Hospitals. Whitby is an innovative municipality with rapid growth in the high tech industry. A talented local workforce. Ready serviceable land that is already approved in the Municipal and Regional Official Plans as a Health Precinct. Location adjacent to our future north Whitby sports centre which also allows for collaborative recovery in health care and the possibility of district energy. We really do stand out as the ideal pick in Durham Region. If chosen by Lakeridge Health as the preferred site, that recommendation would be sent to the Province for further acknowledgement. But I do wish to emphasize that, no matter where this hospital is located within Durham, it is needed and will get my support. This isn't a battle among municipalities; this is a community need that is largely acknowledged. I defer the decision to the health care professionals, as it should be, because regardless of where it goes, it will serve our residents better. After a site is chosen, the real work begins. We will be expected, as a Region, to fundraise millions of dollars as our commitment to the building of the hospital, indeed a massive campaign. As well, it will take more than 10 or possibly 20 years to build, depending on how fast we raise the money. But first thing's first. Will Brooklin be named as the site? I hope so. Then again, I am admittedly a bit biased. Whitby Ranked Among Best Family Communities Whitby has been ranked by Maclean's Magazine as one of the Best Communities in Canada. The Town received high scores for its amenities, weather, culture and community - ranking 55 out of the 415 municipalities compared across Canada. In addition to being a best community, Whitby was also ranked as the 28th Best Place to Raise a Family. "These scores recognize what those of us who live here already know - that Whitby is one of the best communities in Canada," said Mayor Don Mitchell. "From our waterfront and more than 120 parks to our first-class recreation facilities and growing number of entertainment destinations - and everything in between - Whitby is a great place to live, work and raise a family." To determine the rankings, Maclean's collected data on 415 towns and cities across the country and compared them in the fol- lowing categories: affordability, population growth, taxes, commute, crime, wealth and econ- omy, weather, access to health care, amenities, culture and community.