Of the $300 million required to begin phase one of the Joseph Brant Hospital Redevelopment and Expansion project, the Ministry of Health required $120 million to be raised locally.
Burlington City Council agreed to contribute $60 million through a fundraising campaign and began collecting $1.2 million in 2010 and 2011 through a special tax levy. City Council earmarked $2.4 million from previous years' surpluses, and committed $4.8 million in a reserve fund. The tax levy amounts to $4 for each $100,000 of residential assessment.
Ipsos Reid conducted a telephone survey of Burlington residents between Nov. 17 and 23, 2009 and found strong public support for the Joseph Brant Hospital project and municipal contribution. Ninety per cent of Burlington residents surveyed agreed the project was important, and 72 per cent of those surveyed were supportive of the project when told about the proposed $60 million municipal contribution.
The survey involved a total of 602 interviews with a randomly selected, representative sample of Burlington residents. The results are considered to be accurate to within +/- 4.0 per cent, 19 times out of 20.