There's a plan in place for NOTL hospital future, if it has local support

After years of uncertainty about the future of the hospital building on Wellington Street, there is a plan in place for its restoration and transformation into a hub for arts, culture and education.

But first, the community will be be surveyed to see if that is considered the best use for the building.

Jim Burton, chairman of the James Burton & Family Foundation, and his son Jordie have developed the Niagara Gateway Project, a redevelopment plan to turn the hospital building into a self-sustaining community centre focused on arts, education and culture, including programming that highlights the historical significance of the town as the birthplace of Indigenous Peoples.

The foundation will invest in what the Burtons are considering a multi-million dollar project, but with the caveat that they first determine whether that’s what community members want.

The survey is being conducted by the highly respected Abacus Data market research company, which has worked on other projects in town and so is familiar with the area, explained Jim Burton.

Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 9, a survey team will be sampling 300 adult residents through telephone interviews, with an online panel participation to ensure a representative cross-section of the community.

Only with the results in hand will the foundation then move forward, hoping for a long-term lease of the hospital building with the town, to be restored and redeveloped by the foundation.

Focusing on leasing the building means “it continues to be a valuable asset for the town long-term,” Jim said, with any work to be done funded by the foundation, but he is also prepared to buy it if that is what the town is looking for.

In explaining his desire to see this project underway, Jim explains he chose to move to Niagara-on-the-Lake in his retirement as a place where he could create a retreat to bring his family together, including 15 grandchildren, and it has become just that. And he has fallen in love with the history of the town and all it includes, he said, such as Fort George, the Shaw Festival, the many trails and the Niagara River, and started to realize how significant and rich the early history is, as the centre of Canada dating back 13.000 years, beginning with the Indigenous Peoples.

Once he came to understand the richness of the area and its history, it seemed natural to celebrate what is unique to NOTL, he said.

While the results of survey will bring new information, he has been transparent in sharing his plans with the town, and has talked to some members of council, explaining he would be looking for “objective data from residents.”

Some community members have already been interviewed as well, with those discussions “leading us to where we are today” with the community hub concept.

“It is critical to us that we create a sustainable, viable model,” he added. The building is getting old, “nearing the end of its shelf life,” and he is well aware aware of the scope of repairs that are needed. He hopes to provide a model that allows the town to continue to own the hospital building “if they will accept it.”

“Our foundation is not tied to commercial interests,” he stressed.  "We’re not a developer. We’re a family wanting to give back.”

And he is convinced the property is unique, with a location that makes it “feel like a missing piece” that could become a gateway for people entering town.

The hospital, he added, “was originally built by the community, with community dollars, and we are now proposing something for the community to be used by the community. This is so valuable to us locally, we think it’s worth us going forward.”

He’s aware that the site has also been discussed in relation to other uses, such as seniors housing, or a parking lot, and said the foundation and Burton family are willing to be involved in other projects.

He’s also aware of those other pressures on council, and while he is willing to address some of those significant issues, “we think it’s time to be involved in this one as a priority.”

When he sold his company and retired, he was able to put a “significant amount of capital” into the family foundation, he explained, and that allows him to work with his children and grandchildren to invest in projects both small and large to fulfill the most important of his goals, that his foundation is “able to make a difference.”

While he expects to continue to work with the Royal Oak Community School people who now operate a school in the building, and are “a fantastic team of educators,” he said, “that’s only the beginning of the kind of education this project will include.”

His son Jordie, who is taking the lead on the gateway project, is a high school teacher who is passionate about “place-based learning,” and plans for the hub to provide programming opportunities for everyone, from youngsters to seniors, and for both residents and tourists.

The next steps, he says, are for the survey to take place over the next three weeks, followed by a report to summarize the survey results, and a presentation that he expects will be made to council about mid-November to see if the town is onboard.