As co-founder and Chief Sales Officer of Trailcon Leasing Inc., Osler Foundation donor Alan (Al) Boughton knows all about preventative maintenance, and he knows it applies to hospitals just as much as it does to transportation.

“That's what we do in the trailer business. We do preventative maintenance, and with the technology advancing as quickly as it is, it means that Osler needs to continue to upgrade the hospitals’ equipment in order for the doctors and staff to do their jobs,” he says.

Trailcon Leasing started 29 years ago, with Al as the only employee. The company now owns 10,000 trailers, maintains 22,000 more and tops $100 million a year in sales.

A recent donor to the Health Care Heroes campaign, Al believes strongly in the need to support hospitals. “When people go and get an MRI or an ultrasound or an x-ray or whatever it is, they see all that equipment there,” he says. “Most people have no idea where that equipment comes from.”

While the government funds hospital operating costs, equipment is funded by the community. “People need to say, ‘Hey, I'm going to make a donation because my mother, sister, brother, wife, child went in and had to have this type of equipment to diagnose what was wrong with them,’” Al says. “I think those who can, should.” 

Al has spent all his years in the Mississauga/Brampton area and built Trailcon’s head office in Brampton in 2016. Al was first referred to Osler through his long-time family doctor, John Tracey and Dr. Bashir Sachedina, 30 years ago, when he developed an internal bleed.

“I wasn't one of those people in love with my doctor or with going to see the doctor, because when you're young you think that you're invincible,” Al says. “But Bashir and the people in the hospital were over-the-moon good.”

To recognize the work of the physicians who cared for him, Al and Trailcon donated $75,000 to equip three rooms, named in honour of Dr. John Tracey, Dr. Jonathan Giddens and Dr. Bashir Sachedina, at the new Peel Memorial.

“I just try to encourage people to make a difference, to support their doctor, to support their hospital,” Al says. When it comes to our health care heroes, he says, “I don't know what words I would even use to praise them because they're so good. Their mindset through this difficult time is incredible.

“They're doing a great job and people need to step up and they need to thank them, even if they write a small cheque to the hospital to say ‘thank you,’ to do something for the workers that are there every day. I just think they're angels for what they do.”

Now more than ever, your hospital needs your help. Vital life-saving equipment is needed to ensure that our hospitals can keep up with demand. Donate today to support your Health Care Heroes.