$30 Million Dollars for Heart

As a family who is deeply touched by heart disease, specifically Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in both adults and children we are excited to announce that today that the SickKids Foundation today announced the largest gift in the history of The Hospital for Sick Children and the largest philanthropic investment in children's cardiac medicine and research in North America.

Arthur and Sonia Labatt pledged an historic $30 million to SickKids with $25 million establishing The Labatt Family Heart Centre and a $5 million endowment that furthers their support of the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre.

Named in honour of its founding supporters, The Labatt Family Heart Centre will provide state-of-the-art care to children with congenital heart disease, the most common birth defect and leading cause of birth-defect related deaths worldwide. The Centre will play a key role in educating the next leaders of cardiac care delivery in Canada and around the world, and research programs will focus on both congenital heart disease and the early origins of adult onset heart disease. "

Arthur Labatt co-founded Trimark Financial Corporation, now AIM Trimark Investments, one of Canada's largest mutual fund companies. He was elected to Fellowship of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in March 1997. Highlights of his volunteer activities include directorships at SickKids Foundation, Parkinson Foundation of Canada, Canadian Opera Company, Young People's Theatre, Toronto French School and the African Medical and Research Foundation. In October 2004, Mr. Labatt was installed as Chancellor of the University of Western Ontario, a position he continues to hold today. For his outstanding business and community leadership, Mr. Labatt was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in July 1996.

Dr. Sonia Labatt is an Associate Faculty Member at the Centre for Environment at the University of Toronto. Both her teaching and research focus on issues of corporate environmental management. Dr. Labatt's volunteer activities included directorships at the National Ballet of Canada and the Wellesley Hospital Foundation. She also was a director of the Art Gallery of Ontario and co-chaired Havergal College's 'Fund for Tomorrow' campaign. Currently, Dr. Labatt is a director of World Wildlife Fund Canada, sits on the Dean's Advisory Board, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto and is a member of the Board of Trustees at SickKids.