ANTIGONISH: A fundraising drive for a local hospital received responses from two local councils last month.
In November, representatives of the St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation made a presentation to Antigonish Town Council regarding the “St. Martha’s and You. The Time is NOW…” fundraising campaign. The presentation detailed the foundation’s hope of expanding its endowment fund – which is used to purchase and upgrade equipment, as well as to provide training for doctors and staff – by $20 million by the year 2026.
During a regular meeting in December, council for the Municipality of the County of Antigonish pledged $50,000 per year for 10 years to the fundraising drive.
“It’s the cornerstone of the medical system within the quad counties and it’s very important that it is kept up to snuff in regards to all the services that are provided there,” said Warden Russell Boucher.
“We would hope that would continue to be the case for a long time to come.”
Boucher said it is imperative for people to contribute to the campaign if St. Martha’s is to continue offering its current roster of health services.
“We have to recognize that we could lose it if we end up not continuing to support it,” he said.
“I think we set the bar there and hopefully other municipal units will follow.”
Meanwhile, Antigonish Town Council decided to wait until they review their upcoming budget before making a pledge.
“There will be a donation there for sure,” said Antigonish Mayor Laurie Boucher.
“We realize the importance of the hospital to our community. Before we sit down and make a decision, I’d like the new councillors to be able to see the budget process and see what money is available and what we can give and have a good grasp of the process rather than giving money now and then trying to find the money later on.”