B.C. SPINAL CORD RESEARCH FACILITY A FIRST FOR CANADA

VANCOUVER – A state-of-the-art $45-million research facility that will take spinal cord research beyond what is currently possible anywhere in the world is officially under construction at Vancouver General Hospital.

“This is the only facility in Canada, and one of only two in the world, that brings researchers from so many disciplines together with surgeons, physiotherapists and patients to discover and develop new therapies for spinal cord injuries,” said Premier Gordon Campbell. “We’ve made a $12.9-million commitment to ICORD’s research centre, which builds on the $17.5 million we have already contributed to spinal cord research and treatment.”

ICORD, which stands for International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, is a partnership of the University of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation, and Vancouver Coastal Health’s Research Institute. ICORD will share the six-storey, 11,000-square-metre building with the VGH Spine Centre and the Rick Hansen Foundation. The only other comparable centre of excellence in the world is in Miami.

The Blusson Pavilion, as it will be called, is named in recognition of the Blusson family’s contribution to the project through the Rick Hansen Foundation.

“This new research facility will help put B.C. at the forefront of a critical effort to improve the quality of life for all families touched by spinal cord injuries,” said Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell. “The Blusson Pavilion is an excellent example of why B.C. has earned a reputation for its leading-edge research.”

The provincial contribution comes from the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund, which provides capital funding for research equipment and facilities for public post-secondary institutions, teaching hospitals and affiliated non-profit agencies. As well as funding from the Province, the research centre also received support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the University of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation, and Vancouver Coastal Health.

“On this special day, I would also like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Blusson for their generosity and leadership in helping to make this dream a reality,” said Rick Hansen, president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation. “What an amazing way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Man In Motion World Tour, by seeing the realization of another big dream that will accelerate improvements to the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury. Thank you to all the partners and donors who continue to work together to make a difference in the lives of others.”

“Spinal cord injury is a profound human tragedy,” said Ida Goodreau, Vancouver Coastal Health’s president and CEO. “This project is our response to the ‘call for help’ from those who suffer these injuries. World-leading researchers and caregivers will be able to work together to optimize the latest treatment and care, allowing patients to return to their communities having experienced a more dramatic recovery than otherwise possible.”

The Province has previously contributed $17.5 million to spinal cord injury research and quality of life – $2.5 million to the B.C. Leadership Chair in Spinal Cord Research at the Rick Hansen Institute at UBC and $15 million from the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance to the Rick Hansen Foundation in support of its ongoing work to help improve the lives of people with spinal cord injuries.

“This new facility will serve as a beacon to help attract and retain outstanding researchers from many disciplines,” said UBC president Stephen Toope. “With support from both federal and provincial governments and from our donors, we can also provide a unique venue to train the next generation of spinal cord researchers.”

To date, a total of 537 projects and over $371 million in funding have been approved by the provincial government under the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund. This funding has leveraged $362 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and another $298 million from other non-provincial government sources, for a total investment in British Columbia’s research infrastructure of over $1 billion.

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Media contact:	Jennifer McCrea Communications Director 250 952-6508 250 888-0023 (cell)	Mike Morton Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218

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