September 11, 2024, BRAMPTON/ETOBICOKE – For the second consecutive year, the Tour de Bleu cycling event hosted by Mattamy Homes and the Peter Gilgan Foundation has raised a record amount in support of specialized mental health care and services at William Osler Health System (Osler). On Sunday, 69 riders crossed the finish line at Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness (Peel Memorial) completing the fundraising ride, which raised $6.23 million, bringing the two-year total in support of William Osler Health System Foundation (Osler Foundation) to $11.9 million.

The funds will help Osler increase capacity for mental health care with the transformation of Peel Memorial into Brampton’s second hospital and provide support for the region’s first Adolescent Intensive Day (AID) Program for youth struggling with self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Osler launched the program within three months of the 2023 Tour de Bleu ride, which raised an outstanding $5.65 million. Currently offered at Osler’s Brampton Civic Hospital, the AID Program is already making a positive impact on adolescents and their families in Brampton, Etobicoke, Caledon and beyond.

“The AID Program addresses a critical gap in youth mental health services, providing life-saving care and giving hope to families who had nowhere else to turn,” said Ken Mayhew, President and CEO, William Osler Health System Foundation. “We are incredibly grateful to the Gilgan family, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, and all of the Tour de Bleu cyclists and sponsors whose generosity made this program possible, and we are proud of the Osler clinicians who identified the need for this specialized care and brought the program to fruition. This has truly been a team effort.”

“Osler experiences the largest number of Emergency Department mental health visits in the GTA and beyond. The need for timely access to mental health care is great and the support from Peter Gilgan and the Peter Gilgan Foundation is helping to create capacity to ensure youth can access the care they need, when they need it,” said Dr. Frank Martino, President and CEO, William Osler Health System.   

Launched in 2005 by the founder of Mattamy Homes and avid cyclist, Peter Gilgan, the Tour de Bleu event has raised more than $45 million for world-class organizations such as SickKids, CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Women’s College Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, Markham/Stouffville Hospital and Trillium Health Partners.

“An investment in our youth is truly an investment in the future and we could not be more pleased to support the innovative and important work of William Osler Health System’s mental health team,” said Peter Gilgan, Chairman and CEO, Mattamy Asset Management and founder of Mattamy Homes. “Since last year’s ride we have already seen the incredibly positive results these funds have had on young people and their families. We look forward to even greater impact from Tour de Bleu 2024.”

For more information about Osler Foundation, please visit www.oslerfoundation.org. To learn more about Osler’s redevelopment, including the new Peel Memorial Hospital, visit www.williamoslerhs.ca/buildosler.