Largest children’s hospital in Atlantic Canada receives record donation

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — The largest children’s hospital in Atlantic Canada has received what it describes as the region’s single-largest individual donation to health care.

The $25-million donation to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax came from Myron and Berna Garron.

Myron Garron, who is originally from Westport, N.S., made a fortune in the automotive parts business in Ontario, and the couple is known for donating $50 million in 2015 to the Toronto East General Hospital — where their son Michael was born.

After he died from a rare form of cancer in 1975 at the age of 13, the Garrons decided to use their wealth to improve health care.

In 2012, they donated $10 million to the IWK to improve its mental health unit, the neonatal intensive care unit and the women’s health facilities.

The IWK’s Garron Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health opened 10 years ago, and the latest donation will be used to improve the care provided to those with mental health challenges and addictions.

“The lives of Maritime patients have literally been saved because of the Garron Centre and its incredible care team,” Jennifer Gillivan, CEO of the IWK Foundation, said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press