Who: Tony Sottile, retired construction executive, and Barbara Robertson, former teacher and volunteer
The donation: $2M
The recipient: The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
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The inspiration: “The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow is truly one of those projects that is transformational for our entire community. The hospital is a health hub and the innovation and research angles are critically important for the next 100 years. We just needed to be involved,” says Tony Sottile, former CEO of Modern Niagara.
Until now, Tony Sottile and Barbara Robertson have not taken their philanthropic efforts public; they have quietly given back in various ways to the community through donations and the gift of time. Robertson is a dedicated volunteer for both Ronald McDonald House and the Shepherds of Good Hope, while Sottile is a member of The Ottawa Hospital’s board of governors.
Throughout his childhood, Sottile learned the important lesson of working hard from his parents, who immigrated from Italy to Canada in 1966. In 2002, Sottile became the president of Modern Niagara and, in 2004, he was appointed CEO of the construction company. He retired in 2016.
The couple recently sat down with their three adult children to discuss making a significant donation to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow and together the family decided to contribute $2 million to the foundation’s capital campaign.
“Bringing our kids into the conversation was important to us. The connection was easy as our children were born at The Ottawa Hospital, but we wanted to ensure that not only are we donating, but we are giving the foundation the tools to inspire others, too. That is why we agreed to go public about the gift,” says Sottile.
“Tony and Barbara’s gift is essential as it sets an early pace of philanthropy for families in our community. They realized quickly the new campus was a legacy project. Tony is a leader in construction and, as a member of the board of governors, he was on board right away and we are grateful to him and Barbara for their leadership,” says Tim Kluke, the foundation’s president and CEO.
The foundation launched a $500-million fundraising campaign in April 2022 to transform healthcare in Ottawa and invest in research. The total cost of the $2.8-billion healthcare centre will be supported by donors and government funding. The hospital aims to be the most technologically advanced in the country, driving industry-leading research and providing the most sophisticated clinical care to every patient.
