With the determination and efficiency the government sector could only dream of, the Blenheim Health Hub went from desire to reality in under two years.
Announced in November of 2023, the hub’s proponents celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 11. It opens to the public on Sept. 23
The former headquarters for The Andersons, an agri-business company, 2 Hyland Dr. was donated to the Blenheim Medical Health Foundation (BMHF) by Blenheim citizens Peter and Annie Timmermans.
Community support surrounded the project, and not one tax dollar was used in the effort. Between the Timmermans and the Reese Foundation, more than $6 million was donated towards the Hub.
It took $4.5 million in renovations, but the facility is ready for business.
Inside the 26,000-square-foot building are elements of the Chatham-Kent Family Health Team, the new Blenheim Health Hub Pharmacy, the new Health Hub Dental, Circle Health and the Chatham-Kent Mental Health & Trauma Therapy Centre. All in keeping with the concept of integrated referral-based services in the building.
thony Ceccacci called the Health Hub a “generational project for our community,” adding its importance cannot be understated.
“We can talk about investments in factories or workplaces, but none of that is possible without health and wellness,” he said. “I have never seen so much support for a project. Everyone in the community is totally excited for this; it’s ground-breaking accessible health care, right here in our small community.”
community. This should be an example for all Ontario on what could happen when a community comes together.”
Ceccacci agreed.
“Everyone who had the vision for this needs to be thanked endlessly for their dedication to our community,” he said. O’Brien said while the doors have opened, the work isn’t done.
your time
BMHF chair Ed O’Brien said what everyone was able to accomplish in such a short time was incredible.
“It’s great to be in an area with people who are of a like mind, givers in their community of their time, their efforts and their expertise,” he said. “They worked their butts off.”
South Kent Coun. An-
Darrin Canniff, mayor of Chatham-Kent, credited the volunteers and sponsors who donated to the project for turning it from a dream into a reality.
“The community has stepped up huge. There is not a single government dollar in this,’ he said, as no provincial, federal or municipal funds aided in the Hub’s development. “Thousands of hours of volunteer time went into this. The donors stepping up to help fill a need in our
“We will not be resting on our accomplishments. We will continue fundraising efforts. There are many things we’d like to grow at this location. We envision more services at this building,” he said.
There is about 5,000 sq. ft. at the Hub still available for lease, and the BMHF team is looking to add to the medical support operations there. Foundation officials said discussions are ongoing for diagnostic imaging and laboratory services to take up some of that space.
Bruce Corcoran/The Chatham Voice
Members of the board of the Blenheim Medical Health Foundation snip the ribbon on Sept. 11 to celebrate the pending opening of the Blenheim Health Hub. The new facility will be home to doctors’ offices, dentists, a pharmacy, and more.
Can maker chooses Chatham
By Bruce Corcoran bruce@chathamvoice.com
With a can-do attitude, the CEO of a Canadian can manufacturing company told The Voice operations are expanding into Chatham.
Erick Vachon of Ideal Can, a steel can maker based in Saint-Apollinaire, Que., said the company hopes to have the facility up and running by late spring of next year.
The operation will go into the former Crown Metal Packaging building on Irwin Street in Chatham. Vachon said it is the perfect location and perfect building.
“Chatham is a very nice place. It’s in the middle of the ‘fillers’ of cans,” he said, referring to the companies, such as Conagra in Dresden, for which his company will provide cans. “The building is exactly for a can maker. In fact, the design of our building in Quebec is a copy of this building. It’s the same size and the shape is very close.
“You need straight lines. You need a long building. This building is designed for that.”
Each line in the plant will pump out an estimated 1,000 cans per minute.
Ideal Can also serves area clients such as Sun-Brite Foods, Nortera and Weil’s Food Processing.
Vachon said Ideal has signed a lease and will move in sometime early next year.
The plan is to employ about 100 people, who will be working three shifts.
Stuart McFadden, director of economic development for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, said he first heard Ideal was looking to expand in this region less than a month ago. And he’s happy to see it come to fruition.
“This is a Canadian company using Canadian steel, and, ultimately, it will have Canadian products inside of it (each can),” he said.
McFadden said he’s seen the tariffs applied by U.S. President Donald Trump have diverse im-
pact on local industries.
“It has impacted some worse than others. It depends on the product you are making and where it is going,” he said. “Products under CUSMA (the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) are not seeing the impact others are.”
Canadian steel and aluminum businesses have felt the pinch. Hard. Vachon, in previously published reports, said the tariffs led to the decision to bring home the portion of Ideal Can’s supply chain that operated south of the border.
“The independence from American [production] is very important at this moment,” said Vachon in an interview with CBC News. “So why (don’t we) use Canadian steel with Canadian food, and a Canadian can maker?”
Ideal Can is part of the growing movement of Canadian companies seeking to shift their supply chains back into Canada as part of the Buy Canadian movement.
Bruce Corcoran/The Chatham Voice
Ideal Can will set up shop in the former Crown Metal building on Irwin Street in Chatham.
C-K Labour Council gives back
Continued from page 17
The Chatham Kent Labour Council (CKLC) has donated $2,000 to United Way’s BaCK to School program.
This program provides assistance with school supplies for families in need to ensure kids start the school year off right.
Margaret Furtah
“For many years the Chatham Kent Labour Council has been a supporter
87, Sunday, September 7, 2025
Nicholls Funeral Home
Margaret "Peggy" Main
89, Monday, September 8, 2025
Nicholls Funeral Home
Louis David Christ
79, September 5, 2025
McKinlay Funeral Home
Wil Chouinard
88, Monday, September 8, 2025
McKinlay Funeral Home
Bert Rammelaere
90, Thursday, September 4, 2025 McKinlay Funeral Home
of not only labour members within the unionized environment, but organizations that strive to make a positive impact on people’s daily lives,” said CKLC’s Eric Ricciotti
OBITUARIES
Annie Coufal
74, Sunday, September 7, 2025
McKinlay Funeral Home
Rita Vandecaveye (Faubert)
96, Tuesday, September 9, 2025
McKinlay Funeral Home
Andrew Allison
62, Tuesday, September 9, 2025
McKinlay Funeral Home
Donna Jean Lozon
87, Sunday September 7, 2025
Hinnegan Peseski Funeral Home
Helen Ancocik
96, Friday, September 5, 2025 Hinnegan Peseski Funeral Home
in a media release. “The CKLC is proud to be able to provide much-needed assistance to the United Way of Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent for their upcoming Back to School Program.”
Johanna Heather Kahosed 64, Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Badder Funeral Home
Dexter Dodman 76, Thursday September 4, 2025 Badder Funeral Home
Andrew Smith
85, Tuesday, August 26, 2025 Alexander & Houle Funeral Home
James Creasey
76, Friday, September 5, 2025
Alexander & Houle Funeral Home
John Wesley Moore
63, Friday, September 5, 2025 Life Transitions
Paul Brian Hill
44, Monday September 8, 2025 Life Transitions
Ronilee Cooper (ne: Elgie)
69, Thursday, September 4, 2025
Full obituarires at chathamvoice.com /obituaries
Art and Heirloom
The Chatham Art and Heirloom Shoppe is hosting an open house Sept. 27.
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the public can meander through the gallery, perusing the works of more than 60 artists that are on display at the 137 King St. W. location.
There’s a free draw for a gallery gift certificate as well.
Ks turn into cash
Enyo celebrated the strikeouts this season by Chatham-Kent Barnstormers’ pitchers.
For every strikeout registered by Barnstormer hurlers during home games this year, the pest control firm pledged to donate $3 to Chatham-Kent Special Olympics.
The Intercounty Baseball Season may be over for the Barnstormers, but their pitchers helped toss $558 to Special Olympics, via Enyo.
However, that number bugged Enyo, so the company rounded things up to $1,000.
The team and Enyo will join forces again in 2026, with the benefitting charity to be chosen at a later date.
was one of four groups in southwestern Ontario chosen by the Foundation to be supported by the Home Sweet Home campaign.
The third rendition of the campaign will see RONA stores collect donations in support of the non-profits from now until Oct. 12. RONA Chatham and Wallaceburg will both be donating to Habitat for Humanity C-K.
“Our goal is to make a difference in the lives of the communities around us, and that’s what drives our daily activities at the RONA Foundation,” said .Josée Lafitte, director of the RONA Foundation, in a media release. “What I love most about our Home Sweet Home campaign is that its impact is significant at a local level; indeed, the selected organizations we help are located in the same regions as our stores and distribution centres.”
Home Sweet Home
The RONA Foundation has set its sights on supporting Habitat for Humanity Chatham-Kent.
The local branch of the charitable organization
The Voice recognized The Chatham Voice, despite not registering for a thing, was named a triple winner in CommunityVotes Chatham-Kent. The newspaper, which has been serving readers and advertisers since 2013, picked up a gold award in the Organization Services category, a bronze in Advertising, and was named a top pick in Social Media Marketing.
• Business Voice is a bi-monthly column in The Chatham Voice.
