Message from Bonnie Crombie, Honorary Campaign Chair

My father spent his final days in a hospital.

While he received good care, the setting was institutional;
he was surrounded by machines, busy staff and the endless hustle and bustle of a large healthcare centre.

At the end of such a beautiful life, he should not have had to spend his final days in that kind of an environment. But, my family didn’t have any other choice.

It was at that moment, I realized Mississauga urgently needs its own Hospice Centre: a place where community members can receive proper care at the end of their lives – no matter how long or short – with compassion, dignity and respect. A place where patients and their families can find peace and comfort. A place that feels more like home. A place where palliative physicians, healthcare staff and volunteers are devoted to creating meaningful end-of-life experiences for individuals and families and providing wraparound services to support the dying, death and grief journey every step of the way. As one of the most culturally diverse cities in a world that is home to a growing and aging population, our residents need access to innovative, community-based health services all under one roof.

It’s for all of these reasons that I am so proud and grateful to serve as Honourary Campaign Chair for Building Compassion – Heart House Hospice’s $25 million campaign to build Mississauga’s first Hospice Centre.

This new hospice centre will be part of a brand-new health campus being developed in the heart of our city in partnership with Trillium Health Partners. It will offer 12 fully equipped hospice residence suites, a beautiful homelike atmosphere and ample space for the delivery and expansion of Heart House Hospice’s celebrated community based
programs. It will transform experiences and conversations around end of life for people of all ages and all cultural backgrounds throughout Mississauga, building strength and resiliency throughout our community.

It is the kind of place I wish my father could have lived out his final days.

That’s why I am calling upon everyone in Mississauga, and all those with roots in our city, or who simply love our community, to join together in support and celebration of our very first Hospice Centre.

Your generosity will not only help us build the future of end-of-life care in Mississauga, it will change lives. Only by working together, will we ensure that our growing city remains healthy and vibrant for generations to come

Bonnie Crombie, MBA, ICD.D
Mayor of Mississauga
Honorary Campaign Chair
Heart House Hospice