The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation supports healthcare in Niagara

Jan R. Cook, Chair of the It’s Our Time Campaign North Niagara Major Gifts Team (centre), offers congratulations and thanks to Jean Aubrey-Morin, Acting Vice-President for the Seaway’s Niagara Region (left), and Richard Corfe, Seaway President & CEO (right).

Niagara, ON (June 26, 2009) - Celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of The St. Lawrence Seaway will spillover to benefit the It’s Our Time Campaign.  The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation has committed over the course of a five-year pledge to contribute a total of $100,000 towards improved healthcare for the Niagara Region.

Officials of the Seaway Corporation personally delivered the news at a commemorative event which coincided with the official opening of the 2009 navigation season.  Their donation will support the purchase of a new state-of-the-art CT scanner for the NHS St. Catharines General Site, equipment which will be moved to the new health-care complex, once it opens.

CT or computed tomography scanning combines special x-ray equipment with sophisticated computers allowing for noninvasive medical tests to help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.  Using this specialized equipment and expertise to create and interpret CT scans of the body, radiolgists can more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, trauma and other medical disorders.

This gift announcement coincides with The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation’s 50th Anniversary festivities taking place over the course of months throughout communities along the celebrated waterway and includes a public open house in Niagara on Saturday, June 27th,at the Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3. 

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation is a not-for-profit Crown corporation owned by the Government of Canada.  It is responsible for the safe and efficient movement of marine traffic through the Canadian-owned and operated facilities of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which consist of 13 of the 15 locks between Montreal and Lake Erie.  The Corporation plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the waterway remains a safe and well-managed system.

Officially inaugurated on June 26, 1959 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President Eisenhower, the Seaway has stood the test of time facilitating the shipment of more than 2.5 billion tonnes of cargo, valued in excess of $375 billion, to and from over 50 nations.  The Seaway has been recognized as an engineering marvel by organizations in both Canada and the United States, as well as a successful model of bi-national cooperation. 

The ‘It’s Our Time’ Campaign is grateful for corporate citizens such as the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation for sharing its celebration and success with all Niagarans with this gift supporting healthcare in our community.