News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2025

(In back) Guy Hanchet (Property Committee Chair); (Front-left) Susan McMaster; Mary Ferguson-Pare; David Bignell.

Morton Medical Centre Wins Three Green Economy Awards for Climate Leadership Douro-Dummer, ON — Morton Medical Centre is proud to announce that it has received three prestigious awards from Green Economy Peterborough and Green Economy Canada, recognizing its commitment to sustainability and leadership in climate action.

At Green Economy Peterborough’s 4th annual Leadership in Sustainability Awards & Celebration held on June 12, 2025, Morton Medical Centre was honoured with two local awards:

• Leadership in Collaboration, for partnering with GreenUP to develop a Small Business
  Energy Efficiency Pilot, which included identifying technical upgrades to reduce natural gas and electricity use, and engaging tenants and staff in behavioural and operational energy-saving strategies.

• Rookie of the Year Green Economy Peterborough, awarded to a new member that has
  shown exceptional commitment to measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  

In addition to the local recognition, Morton Medical Centre was also named Rookie of the Year Green Economy Canada, a national award that celebrates businesses across Canada leading the way in environmental sustainability.

“Receiving this recognition from Green Economy Peterborough is both humbling and motivating,” said Guy Hanchet, Property Committee Chair, Morton Medical Centre. “Our Committee is working hard to make the Morton Medical Centre a little greener, and it’s wonderful to see that effort acknowledged. We’re excited to keep building on this progress for the good of our community.”

Since joining Green Economy Peterborough, Morton Medical Centre has completed a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment and taken action to improve the energy efficiency of its facility. The centre’s efforts not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also inspire other small businesses to adopt sustainable practices.

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For more information, please contact: Julie Brundle
Public Relations Committee Chair, Morton Medical Centre
juliebrundle@gmail.com

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Ronald A. Fotheringham
raf@hageman.ca
July 21, 2025

At the corner of Highway #28 and Strickland Street stands the Morton Medical Centre. The sign on the lawn states “Proudly Community Built”. The story behind that statement is a story of significant community achievement. Indeed, the outpouring of community support of Morton Medical’s construction was described by a prominent resident as “nothing short of magical”.

The Morton Medical Centre “miracle” began when four primary care doctors either retired or resigned their Lakefield area practices to join the Peterborough Regional Healthcare Centre as hospitalists. The Lakefield District healthcare situation quickly became dire, leaving more than five thousand citizens without a doctor.

The solution to this untenable situation began in 2003 when Nick Lalani, Lakefield’s IDA pharmacist at the time (and later recognized as the Founder of the project) established the Lakefield Community Medical Support Foundation. Its purpose was to build a state-of-the-art medical clinic in the Lakefield area. “We have a problem, no one’s going to fix it for us, we have to fix it ourselves”. A small group of Lalani’s friends and associates began holding regular meetings to spearhead the planning of a solution to the area’s healthcare crisis.

The Lakefield Primary Health Care Fundraising Campaign started off quietly with direct appeals to the Campaign’s leadership group, their friends, associates and local businesses, raising $900 thousand in the first three years. Then on May 1, 2007, the public fundraising campaign was launched with an initial Town Hall Meeting at Lakefield District Secondary School to discuss the doctor shortage in our community and the need to build a local medical clinic to attract physicians to our area. Bruce Gibson, a local dentist and chair of the fundraising campaign, asked how many of the 400 attendees did not have a doctor. Virtually every hand present went into the air. And Lakefield Lioness-Lions kicked off the drive with a $100 thousand commitment.

The next two years saw an unleashing of commitment and effort in support of the “dream”. It can be said that “everyone” in the Townships of Selwyn-Ennismore-Lakefield (S-E-L) and Douro-Dummer made contribution to reaching the financial goal of $4.4 million. On the Donor Wall, located in the Centre’s waiting area today, thousands of donor names are recognized. A Campaign Office storefront led by Glenda Newson (Secretary of the Campaign Cabinet) and an army of enthusiastic volunteers received $500 thousand in donations ranging from $10 to $10 thousand. Medical Centre’s donors were purchasers of baked goods, used books, donated quilts and art work; they were participants at fund-raising bowling, baseball, golf and euchre tournaments; they supported fund-raising hikes, wine tasting events and car washes; they raised money by attending church events, street parties, yard sales and barbecues; they attended Leahy Family music concerts, Blues Festivals and Horizon Band presentations; they attended dinners/auctions at Wildfire Galas (Murray McLauchlan and Michael Burgess were entertainers), they danced at Charity Balls at Sunset Pavilion and attended the memorable Classic Car Cruise Night. The community’s fundraising creativity and commitment were truly impressive. Of particular note perhaps was a $5100 contribution by three eleven year old students holding an auction of donated items at their school.

Critically important to the Campaign’s success as well was the donation of land for construction of the Medical Centre by the Ambler family, the contributions of local businesses (for example SGS, Lakefield College, Boston Pizza, Paris Marine, Nightingale, and the banking institutions of Canada) and grants by the tax payers of Ontario and the Townships of S-E-L and Douro Dummer amounting to almost $1 million. And another contribution…an anonymous donation of $100 thousand on behalf of a beloved dog, “Jessie”.

“The community spirit behind this project has been phenomenal”, said Tony Ambler, the Foundation’s Chair of Finance. “It’s amazing how this community has embraced the project”, said Ken Pipher, the Foundation’s Chair of Marketing. “In many ways, it’s like the old-fashioned barn-building bee, where neighbours would join-together, roll up their sleeves and get the job done. It’s that spirit of community that will make this happen.” “Build it and they (doctors) will come”, promised Ross Bletsoe, Vice Chair of the Foundation.

By October 2008, the Foundation was so confident in the community’s support of the project that they decided to “break ground” to begin construction of the clinic before the fundraising target had been achieved. Then a major donation by Patricia (a Foundation Board member) and David Morton put the campaign “over the top”. Karl Moher, Treasurer of the Campaign Cabinet said, “looking back, this was the most rewarding project I have ever worked on over the years”.

$4.4 million had been raised, almost twice the amount that had been identified as possible support by an in-depth feasibility study conducted in 2003. A team of dedicated community leaders, an army of enthusiastic volunteers and the outstanding support of thousands of donors had “made it happen”, a model of a community working together to achieve improved healthcare for its residents. In 2024, there were thirty thousand patient visits to Morton Medical Centre.

“We make a living by what we get, but make a life by what we give” – Winston Churchill

(Published in The Herald, January 16, 2025)

Thanks to a thoughtful and kindhearted donor, there will be free parking at the Morton Medical Centre (MMC) for 2025! What an incredible way to kick off the new year! A community member stepping forward as a committed provider of help and assistance for others is a perfect example of altruism and generosity.

The MMC, located at 150 Strickland St. in Douro-Dummer Township, was built in 2009.At the time, the facility was celebrated as a product of inspired community vision, dedication and generosity. Today, the wall of the MMC patient waiting area proudly displays the names of many generous donors whose contributions brought the MMC to life. To date, thousands of patients from in and around the local community have benefitted from the medical care at the MMC.

The MMC is a community built, not-for-profit, charitable organization whose vision is to operate a facility that allows healthcare professionals to provide medical services in our community. The MMC has only 2 primary sources of revenue: rent from tenants (Doctors and Clinics) and parking. The revenue generated from these sources is used exclusively for the maintenance and general up-keep of the building and property.

With rising operational costs leading to a hike in the parking fee in 2024, along with a temperamental parking gate, parking at MMC was a known challenge, and even an obstacle for some, in accessing their healthcare.

Thankfully, these issues were noted by an observant and engaged community member who, while wishing to remain anonymous, elected to offer a donation designed specifically to cover 2025 parking fees for all users of the MMC. 2025 is the year of Free Parking at the MMC! This thoughtful and generous donation is another example of the inspired community vision, dedication and generosity that has allowed the MMC to flourish since 2009.

On behalf of our tenants and patients, the MMC Board of Directors sincerely thanks our donor for this most generous and timely offering. It exemplifies the good in our community and the care that exists both from and for the people in it. The community’s ability to access healthcare at MMC with one less barrier is, indeed, a precious gift!

With much gratitude,
The MMC Board of Directors

The Board of the Morton Medical Centre (MMC) has made a commitment to provide more regular communication to our community and this is the first of what will be a series of articles over the next several months.

The Morton Medical Centre opened its doors in 2009 thanks to the incredible support of hundreds of people in our community. As a not for profit organization MMC is community owned and funded and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who serve as a landlord for the tenants at the healthcare facility located at 150 Strickland Street in Lakefield.

The vision of the MMC is to operate a facility that allows healthcare professionals to provide medical services in our community.

The 16-member MMC Board has several subcommittees that work in collaboration to maintain the Centre at a high standard so we can attract and retain doctors and related medical practitioners such as nurse practitioners and physiotherapists as they work to care for both current and future generations of patients in our community. In addition, the MMC Board works to ensure the long term sustainability of this vital organization with only two primary sources of revenue; rent from the MMC tenants (Physicians and Clinics) and parking. The revenue generated from the rent and parking is used exclusively for the maintenance and general up-keep of the building and property, as well as supporting a reserve fund for capital expenses that are apt to arise with an aging building.

The MMC does not have any direct employees other than a contracted Property Manager. Consequently, this requires a Board that is active, enthusiastic and engaged throughout the year as it oversees the organization. The composition of the current Board of Directors includes a diverse range of individuals with backgrounds in areas such as medicine and healthcare, business and fundraising, law, chaplaincy, finance, education and community leadership.

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the community to our volunteer Board of Directors.

Standing back (Left-right): Sue Bell-Gastle, David Morton, Guy Hanchet, Katie McLaughlin, Dr. T om Bell, David Bignell, Sarah McMahon, John Runza, Ron Fotheringham, Reid Brownscombe.

Seated front (Left-right): Susan McMaster, John Boyko, Julie Brundle, Bryan Kingdon, R. Mary Ferguson-Pare. Absent: Nicole Truman

The MMC Board looks forward to offering updates and information to the community in the form of future articles in the Herald. This information will also always be available on the MMC website. Please visit us at www.mmclakefield.ca.

The Board is proud to announce that the Morton Community Healthcare Centre is now the Morton Medical Centre. Earlier this year, the Board’s Public Relations committee suggested that the centre’s name, tagline, and logo were confusing to some and inconsistently used in communications. A process was established that created a new name, tag line, and logo.

The Centre’s new tagline reminds us of the effort that created it: Proudly Community Built. Its new logo reflects the facility’s roofline. The new name, tagline, and logo will now be consistently seen on our sign, website, brochures, advertisements, website, and letterhead. The need for a community medical centre was realized in 2003 when doctors were leaving Lakefield to become hospitalists. A small group of engaged citizens realized that Lakefield would be unable to attract new doctors without a state-of-the-art medical facility.

A Foundation was formed, and fundraising began. While local and provincial governments contributed to the $4.4 million raised, over 80% of the funds came from generous community members and businesses. Land was donated, an architect hired, and construction began.

In 2009, the Morton Community Healthcare Centre opened as a not-for-profit corporation, operating under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors. Today, the facility is home to a team of eight family physicians who are members of the Chemong Family Health Organization, the Peterborough Family Health Team (PFHT) Nurse Practitioner Clinic, the Lakefield Physiotherapy and Foot Healthcare Clinic and a blood-testing lab.

Over 10,000 people from Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, and North Kawartha Townships are now receiving care from health service providers at the facility at 150 Strickland Street. Facility expenses are covered through income derived largely from office rentals and parking. The Morton Medical Centre will continue to offer excellent medical services to our community. You can find us at: www.mmclakefield.ca